Toni Kroos’s Germany vs Rodri’s Spain
Rodri is often the busiest man on the pitch; yet he has the calmest pair of eyes. He is always dispensing instructions, exhorting his men to keep the shape and order, urging them to keep calm and ride the storm, sniffing out a potentially dangerous move, filling up the space left behind by those deputed to attack or spotting an unspotted path to attack. But his eyes remain quiet, serenely scanning the field, processing the next move, and the next, comprehending the thrust of the narrative and seizing it before the adversaries do.
His manager Pep Guardiola appraised him as the best midfielder in the world. “He’s able to do everything. The tempo he has, his character when the situation is going wrong, to step forward, go backwards, the ability to play short and long,” the master tactician detailed. He scores important goals too, often stoppage-time winners and equalisers, a Champions League final winner, often long-range screamers. But most of all, he gives midfield control, the territory where big games are often won and lost. READ MORE
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