Steve McManaman has made a massive claim about one of Manchester City’s players ahead of the European Championship final between Spain and England.
Alongside predicting which team will come out on top, a common topic of discussion that has emerged is which player is deserving of being named the Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament.
Several players have lit up the competition — with names like Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Lamine Yamal and Cody Gakpo springing to mind.
Gary Lineker rightly claimed that the Player of the Tournament may be picked out of whether Spain or England win the game on Sunday.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Steve McManaman makes fresh Rodri claim ahead of Spain vs England
Robbie Fowler believes Rodri has been the “standout player” at the European Championship so far.
However, enigmatic performances from names like Yamal, Foden, Ruiz and Saka could mean either of such players would be considered the best players at the tournament.
Such is the weight that comes with performing in a final where the player’s team in question also wins.
Steve McManaman believes Rodri should be named the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024.
The pundit said via ESPN FC: “I personally think after the year he has had, it should be somebody like Rodri, to be honest. He makes the team tick, he hardly gives the ball away. I am a huge fan of his. I get the fact that the wingers are explosive and the wingers, of course, one of them is 16, stroke 17, now going into the final and he scored that wonderful goal in the semi-final but I think the brains behind the Spanish team is Rodri in the middle of the park.”
Rodri will not be focused on anything aside from winning the Euro 2024 final
While Rodri will likely appreciate a legendary ex-player like Steve McManaman making such a claim about him, like any top player, his focus will be on winning the tournament.
Individual accolades are a source of pride but football is a team sport that revolves around collective achievement.
Moreover, Rodri has admitted himself that he intends to win as much as possible rather than hoping to win individual honours of any kind.
If the Manchester City maestro can help Spain win Euro 2024, he will go down as a legendary figure in his country — much like other midfield greats like Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and David Silva.
As a result, Rodri and his Spanish teammates will rightly be looking at the bigger picture ahead of Sunday’s contest.
The Madrid-born technician could arguably win the most prestigious trophy of his career by winning the European Championship.
