Despite a serious injury suffered after winning the Ballon d'Or in 2024, Spanish captain Rodri has finally regained his form thanks to his determination, and will be the key element in 'La Roja's' midfield on Sunday during the match against Argentina in the World Cup final.

The semi-final match against France showed the superiority of the English Manchester City midfielder in all aspects: physically, technically, and mentally.

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Former Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimović, who works as an analyst for American network Fox during the tournament, praised Rodri, saying: 'He was above everyone... He was everywhere, and he was simply exceptional.' But the start of the European champions' captain in the current finals was not easy. After a lackluster performance against Cape Verde (0-0), like the whole team, he gradually imposed himself against Saudi Arabia (4-0), by speeding up the build-up play and showing greater fierceness in winning back the ball. After beating Uruguay (1-0) in the first round and then Austria (3-0) in the round of 32, Rodri warned that the European champions still had 'a big margin for improvement.'

- A New Rise -

The Spanish team proved that by eliminating Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo (1-0) in the round of 16, then Belgium (2-1) in the quarter-finals.

Against France, Rodri, who turned thirty on June 22, showed complete control in a midfield that also included Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo. He was the player who ran the most in the match (12.63 km), the one who caused the opponent to lose possession the most (19 times), and he won 11 out of 15 duels he contested.

This return represents a true revival for a player who, just two months after winning the European Championship in 2024 in Berlin, suffered a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee. He then climbed onto the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris leaning on crutches to receive the Ballon d'Or, an image that will remain etched in memory.

Since then, the Manchester City holding midfielder has waged a long battle to regain full fitness. His 2026 season was uneven and affected by other injuries to his hamstring and thigh.

But his coach Luis de la Fuente never lost faith in him, saying in defense of his captain: 'Rodri at 50% is better than any other midfielder,' before the player proved the correctness of this bet.

- His future? Later -

Rodri's importance is not limited to his role as national team captain, but also includes his leadership abilities, especially after the international retirements of Álvaro Morata and Dani Carvajal.

He is a serious and focused player in training as in matches, and he has stressed to his teammates the need to 'suffer in order to progress.'

Ibrahimović said after qualifying for the final: 'He is a world-class player who gives confidence to his teammates and makes them better.'

Despite that, Rodri refuses to take credit, insisting that the key to the Spanish team's success 'is the collective effort of everyone.'

His goal now is to lead Spain to a second star on Sunday in East Rutherford near New York, 16 years after the 2010 triumph in South Africa.

He would then add to his record one of the few titles still missing, after winning four English Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League in 2023, the UEFA Nations League in the same year, in addition to the European Championship.

He will then have plenty of time to think about his future, whether with Manchester City, which he joined in 2019 and has only one year left on his contract, or perhaps with Real Madrid, which had previously expressed interest in signing him.

But the Madrid-born player had confirmed before the start of the tournament: 'Everything related to my future will be postponed until after the World Cup,' indicating his full focus on the current goal.