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After over 5 weeks, the World Cup final is here and Manchester City’s own, Rodri, will be taking the biggest stage that football has to offer.
Rodri, is no stranger to big games, having won it all in his career, but there is still one trophy he hasn’t got his hands on; the World Cup.
The talented midfielder is the last of 19 players from Man City called up to the World Cup and has captained Spain to the tournament’s final where he will have a chance to win his country the tournament for the first time since 2010.
In 2024, Rodri led Spain to their first European Championship in 12 years, winning Player of the Tournament and that was a key part of him winning the Ballon D’or that season. This year he is one game away from following in the footsteps of iconic midfielders like Iniesta, Xavi, and Sergio Busquets, bringing their second ever World Cup trophy.
There is one more test standing in Rodri and Spain’s way, Lionel Messi and Argentina. The defending World Cup champions have not looked unstoppable by any means but have found a way to win games late in every round of the knockouts.
If Spain can defeat Argentina, not only will they win their second ever World Cup, but they will have done so on an extremely difficult path.
Spain has already taken down David Alaba’s Austria, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, legendary former Man City player Kevin De Bruyne’s Belgium, and Kylian Mbappé’s France to make it to the finals. A much tougher route to the finals than Argentina, who have faced just one top 15-ranked nation on their path.
A highly anticipated World Cup final with two great nations and Messi’s history playing in Spain for 17 seasons at Barcelona. Messi will face off against multiple players from his former club on the Spanish National Team, including one of the brightest young stars in the sport, Lamine Yamal.
Messi facing off against former Barcelona teammates will not be the only reunion in the World Cup final, with Rodri going head-to-head against former Manchester City teammate Julian Álvarez.
Álvarez played in 103 games for Man City, scoring 38 goals for the club. Though he only played two seasons, he found a lot of success under Pep Guardiola, taking into account that he was the second option, behind the debatably best current striker in the world, Erling Haaland.
Regardless of which nation wins the World Cup final, a player with Manchester City ties will lift the trophy. The question is, will it be Spain’s captain and current Man City player Rodri, or the Argentinian striker and former Man City player Álvarez.
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This article was originally published on mancitysquare.com as Manchester City Ballon D’or Winner Rodri Leads Spain to World Cup final.
