As one of football’s dominant forces, Spain’s potential to challenge at major international tournaments can never be dismissed. Though performances in recent competitions haven’t lived up to La Roja’s golden period of 2008-2012, Spain might just have a lucky charm on their side as the start of Euro 2024 fast approaches.
That lucky charm goes by the name of Rodri.
The pivot of Manchester City’s midfield, Rodri has now gone over 450 days since he last tasted defeat at club level and with just a few games left of the Premier League season, he looks set to carry his incredible unbeaten run into the summer with the Spanish national team.
On the pitch Rodri exudes a calm authority that inspires confidence throughout his team. With Manchester City looking to complete a league and FA Cup double this season, those lucky enough to secure premier league tickets could see Spain’s midfield metronome write further football history.
Rodri’s rise to the top
Having started his professional career at Villarreal, Rodri returned to the club of his youth, Atlético Madrid, in 2018, spending one season in his home city before completing his big money move to Manchester City in 2019. Though his first season in England stuttered at times due to injury and a period settling into his new surroundings, Rodri scored what proved to be the winning goal as Manchester City defeated Aston Villa 2-1 to win the 2019-20 Football League Cup – his first trophy in England and Manchester City’s third consecutive success in the competition.
Winning successive trophies would prove to become a habit for Rodri, claiming the Premier League title in each of his next three seasons at the club (20-21, 21-22, 22-23), and with the 2023-24 Premier League season drawing to a close, a fourth consecutive league title looks very much within Rodri’s grasp.
Rodri’s influence and consistently excellent performances have not gone unnoticed by his coach either, with Pep Guardiola heralding him the “best midfielder in the world by far” – glowing praise from someone who many consider to be the greatest manager in the game.
It is not only at club level, though, that Rodri has displayed his importance to his team. Whilst Rodri has been on the pitch, La Roja have also not lost a match for over a year since suffering defeat to Scotland on 28th March 2023.
During Rodri’s incredible unbeaten run, both Manchester City and Spain have lost football matches, however whenever these losses have occurred Rodri was either unavailable or not selected for the match. In the recent March international fixtures, Spain bounced back from a Rodri-less defeat against Colombia to produce an an exciting 3-3 draw with Brazil as Rodri not only returned to the starting XI, but also scored twice in the game.
Perhaps for such an unbeaten record to continue for one team could be considered a lucky coincidence, but to occur for both his club and national teams alludes to the remarkable consistency and influence he has on his sides.
It should perhaps be pointed out that although Real Madrid did eliminate Rodri’s Manchester City in the quarter-final of this season’s Champions League, with the match ending in a draw after extra time the records show Rodri’s unbeaten run to remain unscathed.
Overcoming the ‘Group of Death’
If Spain are to reclaim their title as the kings of Europe for the first time in twelve years, Rodri will certainly be at the forefront of the national side’s performances.
Having been drawn in Group B alongside Croatia, Italy and Albania, Spain face the challenge of getting out of the so-called ‘group of death’. While the expansion of the European Championships to 24 teams since 2016 has added an extra layer of security to avoiding an early exit, with only 8 of the 24 sides departing the tournament at the group stage, Spain’s opponents cannot be undermined, with the possibility of a group stage exit posing a genuine concern if the squad’s focus is not where it should be.
Fortunately for Spain, focus is exactly what Rodri brings to the game. And, as one of the national team captains, alongside Alvaro Morata, Rodri’s leadership will be crucial to ensuring his teammates approach every match with the professional attitude and importance with which he has demonstrated in each unbeaten game he’s played throughout the last year.
With those who have experienced winning international tournaments for Spain, such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, having now all retired from international football, it is down to the likes of Rodri and Morata to be the standout stars to guide the new crop of young wonderkids if Spain are to have any chance of success this summer.
Pau Cubarsí, Gavi and Lamine Jamal may be the stars everyone is talking about at the moment, but if Rodri can extend his phenomenal unbeatable record for a few months longer, Euro 2024 could prove to be a return to Spain’s glorious era.
