After scoring the winning goal yesterday (Saturday) amid injuries, Rodry took off his shirt and celebrated frantically right in front of stunned Arsenal fans. Many Manchester City fans have mentioned his exploits to those of Emanuel Adebayor, who went out of his way to tease the ex-fans when he scored against the Gunners in September 2009, and there is quite a bit of irony in that it is hard to impossible to think of a different player from the Togolese striker.
Rodry is the ultimate model for a humble star who does not tend to make headlines at all. Fame completely does not interest him, and he keeps his feet on the ground always and in any situation. After all, this is a footballer who stayed to live in dormitories even when he signed his first professional contract in a Villarreal uniform and became the team player of the team. As his campus friend testified at the time: “Success did not change him by a millimeter, and he was mainly interested in studies, because football was and remains for him a kind of gamble.” The degree in economics and business administration, by the way, was finally completed by Rodry last November, even if his career on the grass has long been unquestionable. He simply chose to take all the challenges in his life seriously.
That’s how he was educated. Rodry’s mother works in psychological and employment counseling for 40-plus-year-olds who choose to change professions, and he knew from a very young age that life is really unpredictable and worth preparing for surprises. He also had doubts about his skills to advance in football, especially after he was thrown out of the Atletico Madrid academy at the age of 17 because of a coach who promoted only players whose agents paid him, but it was clear to everyone who met him that he was destined for greatness. Not for nothing was his ascent meteoric – only it went under the radar because of the seemingly gray role and style. At times it seems that Rodri tries his best not to stand out, but that only emphasizes his qualities in terms of professionals.
And so he said Paco Lopes Who coached the boy in Villarreal’s reserve team: “His game vision is exceptional, as is his ball control and delivery ability. He stood out above all with professionalism, and knew exactly what needed to be done to become a top footballer. You should usually be careful with predictions about young players As for Rodry, I had no doubt he would go very far. ” So Fran Escreva did not hesitate to promote him to Villarreal’s first team in 2017 when captain Bruno Soriano was injured, Diego Simeone asked to pay € 20 million to return him to Atletico in 2018, and Pep Guardiola approved a spending of € 70 million a year later to make him a player The most expensive of Manchester City, as of summer 2019.
These coaches are completely different, but Rodry met everyone’s requirements. For Simeone, the athletic connection went straight into the box left by the mythical captain, Gabi, and did a brilliant job in a role that requires first and foremost a fighting spirit. For Pep, he was defined as the ultimate successor to Fernandinho – the most important player in the lineup who had no replacement before the arrival of the Spaniard. Guardiola He knew that the adolescent Brazilian would not be able to carry the cart for much longer. He brought in Rodry and stated: “This will be City’s back contact for the next decade.” In the meantime, this is definitely the direction.
Why, then, did Pep give up Roddy’s services in the Champions League final? No matter how you look at it, this is one of the most bizarre and puzzling decisions in his resume. Guardiola is often accused of thinking too much and trying to reinvent the wheel before the important games, but he has never exaggerated in this way before. Among the solid against Chelsea in Porto, he sat on the bench for both Rodry and Fernandinho, leaving the back link completely exposed, and according to many commentators this was the main reason for the 1-0 loss and the loss of the opportunity to bring the first coveted European Cup to the club.
This issue continues to concern him even now. Two weeks ago, when asked about Rodry, the Catalan replied: “He is one of the best back-to-back ties in the world, without a doubt. He shows this in every game and every training session. He is important to us, shows stability, and I hope this season “. Thus was brought, indirectly, the excuse for the Spaniard’s bench on May 29, even if there is still no convincing explanation for the decision about Fernandinho. One thing is for sure: Rodri may have been excellent in the first two seasons at Manchester, but this season there has been another upgrade in his ability, and Pep also attributes this to the credit of his assistant, Juanma Liu.
Leo was Guardiola’s coach on his last team of his career as a player, the Mexican Dorados, and the Catalan went as far as to learn from the man he defines as the most important mentor for him. In 2020 the circle closed when veteran Leo joined Pep’s team at Manchester City, on the standard of Mikel Arteta’s replacement. He is working particularly thoroughly with Rodry, in order to further improve his decision-making, and the progress is noticeable. “At 25, he has not yet reached his peak,” the coach states.
On the one hand, the goal was to guide Rodry to better maintain his position. “Last season he moved a little too much, but the back contact just needs to be in place,” Pep argued. On the other hand, in a slightly contradictory way, he was also given more extensive freedom of action to join attacks when needed, and already yesterday equaled the personal season record with three league goals. And what more gates! In November, it was an incredible missile from a distance to the Everton network that was crowned the gate of the month. Yesterday the performance was less spectacular, but much more important.
While Manchester had a very hard time breaking the Arsenal defense that was left in numerical inferiority, it was Rodry who actually made the critical move to the depth of the extension in the 93rd minute. He missed the previous two games due to injury, was trained at the last minute, but still had more power than everyone else as the game approached by huge steps to a 1-1 draw. Kevin de Bruyne’s ball bounced off a number of players before reaching it, and the Spaniard sent it into the net with his weak left foot to set up a constituent 1: 2 and embark on a particularly emotional celebration. He became, for the first time in his career, the game’s greatest hero in the headlines as well. Something erupted and fell apart there, and perhaps from now on we will see Rodry from a slightly different angle – not only the quiet anchor, but also a much more vocal leader. The first day of 2022 was his, and maybe the whole year will be formative as well.
In Spain, he has long been considered the future heir of Sergio Busquets. This is what the national coach stated, Luis Enrique, Himself, when he declared back in 2019: “Rodry can reach the level of Busquets, and even beyond. The sky is the limit for him.” Guardiola also sees him as a match for Busquets, whose most significant drawback lies in the fact that he has very little risk to the goal. Rodry reveals this season that he has something to contribute in this aspect as well, and his game becomes even more multifaceted. Business management is his profession, and he does it great in midfield as well. And if Manchester City advance to the Champions League final again, Pep would not consider leaving him out again.
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