Spain have won the 2026 World Cup and there is now no debating Rodri’s standing in the game – the Manchester City star is quite simply the greatest defensive midfielder of all-time.
After 39 days and 104 matches, it was La Roja who came out on top, defeating Argentina in the final at Metlife Stadium in front of the watching world.
Ferran Torres was the matchwinner for Spain, scoring in extra-time against 10-man Argentina after coming on as a substitute.
Reports suggest Real Madrid have been offered Rodri for just £60m… is that a fair deal for the 30-year-old?
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After the game, the awards were then distributed.
And Rodri received the Golden Ball award to go along with the Jules Rimet Trophy – cementing him as one of the best midfielders of his generation, and the greatest defensive midfielder of all-time.
Why Rodri is the best defensive midfielder ever
Inevitably, there have been some people grumbling about the fact that Rodri scooped the Golden Ball over the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Realistically though, he is an extremely deserving winner, having been the most influential player for the best team at the tournament.
As per Squawka, he completed 756 passes from his 811 attempted at the 2026 World Cup (93.22%), which is the most passes by a player in a single World Cup in recorded history.
He also achieved the following:
- Most touches (910)
- Most passes attempted (811)
- Most passes completed (756)
- Most final third passes completed (204)
- Most tackles (26)
And a hefty chunk of those completed passes actually broke the lines, with Rodri recording 106 ahead of the final.
So it was an incredible tournament ending in a Golden Ball, making him the first Premier League player ever to win it – but this only really scratches the surface as to what Rodri has achieved in the game.
Sticking with Spain, he also won Euro 2024 where he again won Player of the Tournament, and also the Nations League in 2022/23. Again, he won the Player of the Tournament.
With Manchester City, he’s won four Premier League titles, making Team of the Season twice. He’s also won two FA Cups, three League Cups, a Community Shield, a Club World Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and the Champions League, in which he scored the winning goal and claimed the Man of the Match award.
And of course, in 2024 he won the coveted Ballon d’Or, which was richly deserved for his incredible influence in a team that had won so much.
People like to talk about the likes of Sergio Busquets and Claude Makelele when it comes to the best defensive midfielders of all-time.
They were truly incredible players.
Busquets with his press-resistance and ability to make the game look absolutely easy, and Makelele with his unrivalled tenacity and tackling, helping the Frenchman even get a role named after him
Should Rodri be considered the best defensive midfielder of all-time after winning the World Cup with Spain? 🤔
The Ballon d'Or winner has claimed the ultimate international prize and scooped the Golden Ball…
It can now be argued that Rodri has surpassed these greats.
He’s certainly won more both collectively and individually, and his game is much more comprehensive.
Busquets and Makelele never had the same complete game as Rodri. Busquets was an incredible controller of play and was unbelievable at intercepting, but he lacked physicality and rarely contributed in the final third.
Makelele was more of an extinguisher of fires and a workhorse. Perhaps he was a better tackler than Rodri. But he doesn’t hold a candle to him when it comes to controlling games. And again, the Frenchman did not offer anywhere near the kind of influence Rodri does in the final third.
The fact Rodri has 35 goals and 40 assists to his name in his club career so far is remarkable, given the deep areas he spends most of his time in.
It’s also worth just talking about the eye test as well.
Rodri always just operates with such calm and authority. He is graceful on the ball, but can be steely and dominant when he needs to be.
One user on X, @iron_farru, perhaps put it better than anyone else ever has: “Rodri plays like the typical old-timer who starts kicking a ball around with his nephews on the beach. He never loses his spot, he lets the kids score so they don’t get mad, he steals the ball when one of them gets too cocky, he keeps an eye on the beach umbrella, his wife’s purse, and makes sure the little bottles stay cold.”
There have been fears about Rodri in the last 18 months or so, after he sustained that ACL injury against Arsenal.
But he was getting better towards the end of last season, and was then outstanding at the World Cup just like Pep Guardiola predicted he would be.
To come back from a horrible injury like that just shows off another incredible thing about Rodri – his mentality.
People will continue to have these debates. But there are legitimate arguments now to say that the positional dominance Rodri has had, combined with his individual and team achievements, makes him the best defensive midfielder ever to do it.
