Berlin: Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal seems to feel a mischievous glee when talking to Spain’s midfield conductor Rodri. “I do it every day. Every day I tell him to come to Madrid, there is more sunshine,” the 32-year-old reported ahead of the Euro 2024 final this Sunday against England. Carvajal always finishes his promotional tour by saying: “It’s a perfect match, more than perfect.”
The courted teammate is said to always smile but in fact, a possible move back home might currently not be on his mind, with minds focused on the upcoming final.
Carvajal’s efforts might fail as his teammate has a contract with Manchester City until 2027, Xinhua reports. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola recently called him irreplaceable, despite Real desperately looking for a successor for the retired Toni Kroos. While Rodri is undoubtedly a match for the job, football fans see him conducting the game of Luis de la Fuente’s Spain team at the highest possible level.
The Madrid-born midfielder seems to feel the game in every second. Slow down and keep things simple, or change into furious high-speed attacks, Rodri has to do it all. Termed by Guardiola as the world’s best midfielder, Rodri seems to have found his place after having played as a central defender at the 2022 World Cup due to Sergio Busquets ruling the midfield.
Without complaining, Rodri carried out the job in the back; needless to say, he can cover various positions satisfactorily.
Having started at the back for City, his genius-like ability in midfield became dominant. “He is calm and precise under high-pressure situations,” Kroos said of the silent leader.
Rodri isn’t only staying away from social media activities and, when presented on the podium in press conferences, seems happy when he can talk about others. With pleasure, he talks about wonderkid Lamine Yamal, predicting a glittering career for the now-17-year-old as “he has what no other has at his young age.”
Having first been coached by defensive master Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, time spent under the tutelage of Guardiola at City might have triggered Rodri’s attacking desires.
Scoring might not have turned into his favorite exercise, but he is around when opportunities pop up, with eight goals and nine assists in the previous Premier League season.
In the final against England, Spain’s conductor is set to meet several familiar faces but talks unemotionally about the issue.
“We have done a fairly good job so far. But there is always something to do better,” he said, leaving no doubts that doing better means winning the tournament.
Self-confidence around Spain has grown, with La Roja being the only Euro 2024 with six straight wins.
–IANS
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