It feels like 2024 all over again. Spain dominate all the way to glory, and Rodri is the on-field mastermind credited by overseeing it all.
The Manchester City midfielder led his side to their second World Cup, just two years after being the man behind their European Championship glory.
Like then, his individual efforts were recognised as he was named the recipient of the World Cup Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. His compatriots Pau Cubarsi and Unai Simon were also among the award winners, claiming the Young Player and Golden Glove awards respectively.
Rodri pipped the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham to the main award, all of whom had stellar tournaments. Due to the understated nature with which Rodri tends to go about his business, him coming out on top has created a heated debate akin to when he won the Ballon d’Or in 2024.
Do those other superstars really have a right to feel hard done by?
Well, Sky Sports’ Power Rankings do have the trio of Messi, Mbappe and Bellingham as the top three performers of the 2026 World Cup, in that order. Where does Rodri rank on that list? 18th.
In fact, according to his overall tournament rating, he was only the seventh-best Spanish player at the World Cup.
So, why was he named player of the tournament? Well, no one was more involved on the ball than Rodri. He topped the charts for touches, but that means little. What matters is what he did with them.
At both ends of the pitch, he was heavily involved. In attack, he ranked second for final third passes and 15th in chances created. Defensively, he made the most tackles in the tournament and also ranked in the top four for possessions won in the attacking and middle thirds.
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Jay Bothroyd debates why he thinks Lionel Messi’s x-factor means he should have won player of the tournament at the World Cup over Spain’s Rodri.
What the data can’t account for is his experience. The impact his leadership has on a young team is crucial.
That’s the pros, but what about the cons? Those have less to do with his performances and more to do with the strength of others. Across 43 key stats analysed, Rodri finishes in the top 10 of 13 of them. That’s better than Bellingham [12]; however Messi and Mbappe have 18 top 10 finishes apiece.
It can also be noted that Messi had the best individual performance of the tournament according to the rankings – his hat-trick hero display in Argentina’s opener vs Algeria.
These include goals, assists, big chances created and through balls. Of course, they aren’t as strong in the defensive statistics, but the power rankings acknowledge the stats most relevant to their positions.
The data shows that while Rodri was undoubtedly a top performer, he didn’t excel to the same extent as Messi and Mbappe. And given the fact they were all important leaders, Rodri’s captaincy isn’t enough to give him the edge. The argument can certainly be made that the best team were awarded the best player award, rather than the actual best player.
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With the World Cup now over, which players are the standout contenders to win the Ballon D’or?
Cubarsi steals Lamine Yamal’s spotlight as World Cup starlet
Spain’s Pau Cubarsi beat team-mate Lamine Yamal to the Young Player of the tournament
Before the tournament, Lamine Yamal would’ve been most people’s pick for the Young Player of the Tournament. Instead, it was his Barcelona team-mate Cubarsi who stole the show.
It is clear to see why the 19-year-old was named the golden boy of the tournament. As part of a defence that conceded just one goal all tournament, Cubarsi shone. No player aged 21 or under played more passes, made more clearances or won possession back in all thirds. He even ranked in the top four in final third passes. This is a defender, bear in mind.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal didn’t quite hit the heights expected of him. Though he did still star in certain areas compared to other youngsters, his stats are swallowed up when you compare them with players of all ages. Cubarsi remains elite.
Simon wins golden glove, but was he the best goalkeeper?
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon poses with the Golden Glove award
The other Spaniard to pick up an individual accolade was goalkeeper Simon. Having been preferred throughout the tournament to Arsenal’s David Raya, Luis de la Fuente’s selection paid off. With seven clean sheets in eight games, it’s hard to argue against him.
His ranking inside the top five of the power rankings is heavily influenced by his clean sheets, something he definitely deserves credit for. However, he wasn’t the busiest of goalkeepers. In fact, the Athletic Bilbao man made just 10 saves all tournament. Emi Martinez, on the other hand, made 20.
However, only Vozinha outperformed his xG conceded [1.98] by a greater margin than Simon [1.7]. And the moment when the Spaniard rushed off his line to stop Messi running through on goal in the early stages of the final epitomised another strength of his game.
No goalkeeper completed more sweeper regains all tournament [11], while his final passing accuracy of 77.87 per cent was only bettered by six others. All in all, the ideal competition for a modern-day goalkeeper, who just so happened to have an incredible defence ahead of him to boot.
Your views:
We put it to you in our World Cup blog on if you thought Rodri deserved to win the World Cup Golden Ball in our dedicated World Cup blog, and this is what you had to say:
Red Rob: Rodri was awesome in every game. 100 per cent back to his best. Messi was a bit-part player, only came out to play for 10mins most games. I love watching him but final was a game too far.
MH92: If the best player award is based on performances, so many players had better games than Messi, Bellingham for example. If it’s based on goal involvements, Mbappe should win it with a new record 14. Rodri deserved it, Messi, didn’t.
RJ1878: Argentina never reach the final of the World Cup without the things Messi has done in this tournament. At 39, people said he couldn’t do it again but he’s dragged that team to another final. And the numbers back it up too!
Ryan: Can’t believe Rodri was given player of the tournament! His side won the World Cup but he wasn’t the best player of the tournament, should’ve been Bellingham.
Gaz: Messi wasn’t really in the top 5 if we’re being honest. He scored a few goals but he doesn’t do much. Plays in moments.
Vaughn: No, Messi shouldn’t have gotten it. Throughout the World Cup arrogant and wanted everything to go his way. Rodri probably was the right person to win it, I’d say followed by Bellingham then Mbappe.
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