Rodri transfer analysis: How Spain's 'phenomenal' World Cup winner could take Barcelona's elite midfield to a new level

With Barcelona close to gazumping La Liga rivals Real Madrid to sign World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, TNT Sports takes a look at how the Spain star will impact the midfield of the reigning La Liga champions.

When you think of what makes a midfielder, there is a pretty decent chance that you might think of a player in a Barcelona kit.

The Catalan club’s history is littered with some of the greatest to marshal the middle of the pitch, and they may be about to add another.

According to widespread reports, Barcelona have leapfrogged arch-rivals Real Madrid in the race to sign World Cup winner Rodri from Manchester City. They now have to agree a fee with the former Premier League champions.

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It is a truly tantalising prospect. Let’s dive into it.

Més que un metronome

At times during his career, Rodri has been unfairly tarnished with the brush of being nothing more than a sideways pass master, a similar critique to the one that was levelled at Sergio Busquets when he was a player at Barcelona.

However, the evolution of Rodri under Pep Guardiola – and national team head coach Luis de la Fuente – has resulted in back-to-back European titles, and the 2024 Ballon d’Or, leading to a much wider appreciation for what he does.

'He controls everything' - Cucurella heaps praise on Golden Ball winner Rodri

Video credit: SNTV

Rodri seamlessly blends the balance of being the defensive shield in front of the defence and the offensive catalyst that moves a team up the pitch, arguably better than any single player in the world.

And that is a critical combination that Barcelona have been missing. Let’s look at some data.

Here we have a collection of defensive stats from all club matches for last season for Rodri, Pedri, Frenkie De Jong, Marc Bernal and Marc Casado.

Note: Eric Garcia is excluded because of the number of different positions he played last season, while Gavi did not play enough minutes to be under consideration, but he is worth keeping in mind as we talk about Barcelona’s midfield.

All Comps - Per 90 (25-26)	Pedri	Frenkie de Jong	Marc Casado	Marc Bernal	Rodri
Tackles	2.2	2.1	2.1	2.3	2.1
Duels won	6	4.6	4.8	6.2	6.2
Duel success	59.5	63.9	50.7	53.2	63.7
Interceptions	1	0.9	0.6	1.2	0.9
Possession won	6.6	5	4	3.6	6.2

You can see that whilst Rodri’s stats compare favourably – and he leads some metrics – there is nothing that stands out.

Now let’s compare some more creative, on the ball, stats. Here you can see the area where Rodri truly separates himself, in the sheer number of passes played. For City, the game revolves around Rodri when he is on the pitch. For Barcelona, that responsibility is shared between Pedri and De Jong, as well as, of course, Lamine Yamal.

All Comps - Per 90 (25-26)	Pedri	De Jong	Casado	Bernal	Rodri
Successful passes	78.6	77.9	74.2	55.3	90.5
Passing accuracy	91.3	94.2	91.2	90.6	90.7
Chances created (inc. assists)	2.4	1.8	1.2	0.4	1.4
Successful passes in opp half	53	52.5	43.7	30.6	54.5
Touches in opp box	1.5	1.7	0.8	1.1	1.4

Despite their relative struggles to work together at national level, it is expected that Rodri would form a new axis in the Barcelona midfield alongside Pedri, with Fermin Lopez or Dani Olmo operating as the No. 10 in Hansi Flick’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

As the stats show, Rodri offers a bit more in some key areas compared to De Jong but, critically, he might provide a more stable base for Pedri to operate from.

”For Barcelona, he would be a key signing,” explains Ignacio Mata from Eurosport Spain.

”Primarily because of De Jong's long-term injury. The Dutch midfielder has been questioned on several occasions and could even be facing a transfer.

”From a tactical point of view, not much should change but there should be a rise in quality based on what we saw at the World Cup.”

And here is former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard, speaking on TNT Sports before the FA Cup final this year between City and Chelsea, on the importance of Rodri.

"Manchester City are a lot stronger if he does start, if he does play. Talking about a Ballon d'Or winner, a world-class holding midfielder who is capable of getting on the end of shots, arriving in the box. He's just an all-round top midfielder, my respect for him is huge," Gerrard said.

"I think he has that much of an effect on this City team, I think he lifts everyone around him, I think everyone else gets 10%.

"He's like the steel in the middle of the pitch, he allows all the other players on the pitch to go and express themselves and be free, to go and create around the box. But he's the steel, he's the one who puts the fires out, he's the one that connects all the game in possession. He's just an all-around phenomenal midfielder."

Rodri did start that game and City did go on to win.

Rodri lifts everyone around him – Gerrard

Video credit: TNT Sports

The unseen elements

There are other factors at play too.

Rodri is tall at 6' 3". Barcelona have lost Robert Lewandowski and are yet to replace him and are quite a small team across the board except for one or two players.

Rodri has never been prolific from set-pieces but that extra height and the experience that comes with playing in a more physical league for so long, will be an extra cherry on top in improving Barcelona.

The other is something that Mata points out.

”One thing to consider is that Rodri could become a role model for Bernal, one of the most talented young players in the squad," he says.

And it’s not just Bernal. Barcelona always have a conveyor belt of young talent coming through La Masia, particularly in midfield. De Jong is a great player but he does not have the experience or the, dare we say, aura, that Rodri does.

The mentoring aspect of Rodri’s transfer is a more difficult one to quantify but it can have a wide impact. For more experienced players like Gavi, or even Pedri, being able to lean on Rodri day in, day out is only going to pay out positively for Barcelona over time.

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The Ballon d’Or

Do you know when the last time a male footballer not called Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo won a second Ballon d’Or?

It was Ronaldo Nazario back in 2002. He is just one of eight men to have won the award multiple times. Could Rodri make it nine?

He has as good a case as anyone and it further highlights Rodri’s stature in the game and the influence he could have across the Barcelona team, both on and off the pitch, if they can get this transfer done.

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