Manchester City have seen some of their players win some prestigious individual awards in recent years.
For example, Erling Haaland was named the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for 2023 before Phil Foden won the Premier League Player of the Season for the 2023/24 campaign.
More recently, Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or after helping Pep Guardiola’s side win their fourth consecutive Premier League trophy and Spain win the 2024 European Championship.
Even though Rodri suffered a season-ending injury back in September, the midfielder has found himself being examined and praised by a pundit and former City player who has now highlighted the one aspect that he feels makes the Spaniard stand head and shoulders above the rest in world football right now.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Micah Richards pinpoints Rodri’s key feature that makes him a special player
When asked during a recent edition of The Rest Is Football what specifically makes Rodri a special player, Micah Richards gave this explanation in response.
He said: “What makes him so special, I think, is football intelligence. So, you know, when we have stats, don’t we? And stats are so important for football.
“But, like I keep saying, if you watched and you don’t, you don’t look at the stats, you just watch the game of football, he’s always in the right position at the right time.
“Technically, he’s so gifted, and how quick he’s able to move the ball from A to B. When you’re watching football next, look at midfielders, how many touches they take, and how long it takes them to pass the ball forward.
“Rodri does it like with a split second. He does it better than anyone else.
“And then on a counterattack, like we’ve seen with Man City now, with [Mateo] Kovacic and Bernardo Silva and [Ilkay] Gundogan, there’s times in the games where they’re very good players, but understanding that position, when you can press and when it’s time to hold.
“Rodri just does all them things better than any player in the Premier League, especially in that defensive-midfield position.”
Craig Burley hailed Rodri’s evolution under Guardiola
Richards isn’t the only pundit to praise the Spaniard for his understanding of the role he has in Guardiola’s side, as Craig Burley praised Rodri for how he’s evolved under the City manager and become the player he is today.
He said: “He’s another example of not just talent but coaching because he’s another player that since he’s gone under the tutelage of the Manchester City manager he’s got better.
“Because when he went into City, he was a really good player, really solid but there was one or two people looking at him going he’s a bit slow doing this, he’s a bit slow doing that, but every year he’s got better and better to the stage now he’s a great player.
“He’s absolutely one of the best in his position on the planet and that’s testament to his manager, his teammates but testament to him. Very level-headed, will score goals, will cover the full-backs, will link up the play.
“Never ever, ever hides, will always show to help a teammate out if they’re under pressure, even if he’s under pressure with somebody right up his backside putting him under the sword, he’ll always show.
“Just a terrific player I think to have as a manager.”
City paid £62m to sign Rodri from Atletico Madrid back in the 2019 summer transfer window. Since then, the 28-year-old has gone on to make 260 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 26 goals, delivering 30 assists and winning multiple trophies along the way.
Having now officially been named the best player in the world for 2024, it’s hard to deny that Rodri has been a top signing for the Blues and has benefited massively from being coached by Guardiola in terms of increasing his intelligence of how to play his role on the pitch.
