England and Man Utd hero Rio Ferdinand (Picture: YouTube)
Rio Ferdinand has named Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri as the ‘most valuable player in football’ ahead of the Euro 2024 final.
Rodri has become one of the most successful players in the world since joining Man City in 2019, helping Pep Guardiola’s side win four Premier League titles and the Champions League.
The defensive midfielder also helped Spain win the Nations League last year, while he has played a crucial role in La Roja’s run to the Euro 2024 final.
Rodri has been one of the stars of the Euros as Spain topped Group B before beating Georgia, hosts Germany and World Cup finalists France to reach Sunday’s final in Berlin, where they will meet England.
Ex-England and Manchester United defender Ferdinand has described Rodri as the ‘best conductor in the game’ and believes he is the ‘most valuable’ player in the world.
‘Rodri is the best conductor in the game,’ he said on The Rest is Football podcast. ‘I actually think he’s the most valuable player right now in football.
‘Rodri is just above everybody. He almost looks like the teacher on the pitch and everyone else are pupils, that’s how it feels to me. He’s got a real calm authority about him.’
Rodri preparing for Spain’s Euro 2024 final against England (Picture: Getty)
Rodri is club team-mates with England stars Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker and will be familiar with all of the Three Lions squad from his time in the Premier League.
‘I know them well, I know the culture of English football perfectly,’ Rodri told AS ahead of the final.
‘They have a very talented team, players who can unbalance and who can control all aspects of the game.
‘They defend well, they can attack you, they are good at set pieces. We have to work on how to hurt them. We have our weapons, we are confident that we can beat them.’
One of Spain’s greatest weapons at the Euros has been teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
‘I see a maturity in him that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen before, honestly,’ Rodri added. ‘And I see potential, a player… I couldn’t tell you Lamine’s ceiling.
‘We’ll know in a few years. In five or six years, we’ll see. In one or two years he’ll be one of the best in the world.
‘But above all I see him as a very calm boy, eager to learn. And supportive. For people with that talent and those virtues, there are times when we see players who are good at something and stick to it.
‘In Lamine I see a boy who wants to win collectively, to be supportive, to not think he’s better. And, with these tools, he has everything to be one of the best in the coming years.’
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