Rodri's World Cup Masterclass: A Return to Form After Injury

Rodri is back to his best after multiple injury problems. The former Ballon d’Or winner has started only 22 games since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in September 2024 but you would have no idea from his performances at the World Cup that he had suffered so badly in the previous two years.

The 30-year-old was already leading several statistical categories coming into the final on Sunday. He pushed them higher than perhaps even Luis de la Fuente could have hoped.

Opta noted ahead of the game that Rodri’s 94.0 completed passes per 90 minutes played was the highest average anyone with at least 400 minutes had recorded at a single World Cup. He led the standings for line-breaking passes, too.

To some extent this is the inevitable result of playing in central midfield for the team that averaged the most passes per match this summer. The accuracy is even more impressive than the volume, though. Rodri completed 93.2% of his passes at the tournament, with his 95.3% success rate against Argentina his highest from any of the eight matches. The Manchester City player misplaced only five of his 106 passes in the final.

Rodri’s accuracy barely dropped in dangerous areas. He led the World Cup for passes completed in the final third (204) by completing 91.9% of the 222 he attempted. His excellent ball retention helped Spain to concede an incredibly low 2.37 expected goals in the tournament, a mere 0.28 per 90 minutes (and only 0.22 in the 120-minute final).

Rodri’s work when his side didn’t have the ball was just as crucial. He made 26 tackles, the most of any player in the competition. Again, he was above his World Cup average in the final, with four, and was not dribbled past as he had been in four of the preceding six matches.

The varied locations of Rodri’s defensive work was impressive. He tackled Enzo Fernández in the Argentina box, Julián Alvarez near the centre circle and Nico González on the edge of Spain’s defensive third. Most crucially, he dispossessed Lionel Messi in the 92nd minute of normal time as he approached the penalty area. There’s a plausible alternate universe in which missing that challenge allows Argentina to retain their title.

Tackles represent part of the ground duels metric, which also incorporates dribbles and fouls. The average success rate is 50%, as for a duel to be won there has to be an opponent on the losing side. Rodri was the victor in 63.3% of his 60 ground duels at the World Cup, markedly above his team’s below-par rate of 48.6%. None of the other 27 players who contested more than 46 for any country were as successful as often, either. As with his passing, the Golden Ball winner exceeded his tournament average to win 80% of his ground duels in the final.

Rodri’s influence is best highlighted by Spain’s record with Opta-defined big chances. They allowed only five in their eight matches. Cape Verde’s one came from a corner after Rodri had been substituted, while Darwin Núñez failed to make proper contact when another came his way in the Uruguay match.

The other three, none of which occurred after the quarter-final, were all headers. For two, the creating cross came from Spain’s left, not Rodri’s side. Teams very occasionally played around their midfield but never through it. Not even Argentina with the trophy on the line. Rodri was a worthy player of the tournament, better still in the final.