The Spain captain received the award after guiding his country to their second world title and first since 2010.
Rodri scored no goals and supplied no assists, but Spain’s success ran through him.
He dictated the tempo, protected the defence and gave those around him the freedom to play. When matches became tense, Rodri was usually the calmest man on the pitch.
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Before the final, he led Spain for touches, completed passes, passes into the final third and duels won.
His best performance came in the semi-final victory over France. Rodri covered more than 12 kilometres and helped shut down an attack featuring Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise.
Spain conceded only once across the entire tournament and finished their campaign unbeaten.
Rodri was replaced during extra time in the final, but his work had already been done. Ferran Torres produced the winning moment before the captain returned to lift the World Cup.
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The Manchester City midfielder becomes the first Spanish player to win the World Cup Golden Ball.
He was named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024. He won the Ballon d’Or later that year. Now he has added the World Cup Golden Ball.
Different tournament, same heartbeat.
Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
