Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle with Manchester City for midfielder Rodri, a player who is currently on top of the world.

The 30-year-old captained Spain to win this year’s World Cup, where he received the Golden Ball having been voted the tournament’s best player, while being widely regarded as tactically and technically its most significant performer.

The holding midfielder’s performance in the 1-0 win against defending champion Argentina in the final was among the best of his career. He was everywhere — nipping in to intercept a dangerous pass, arriving just in time to provide a passing option to a team-mate in trouble, surging forward on the ball to set up a Spain attack.

His incredible display at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was a reminder of the talents that led to Rodri winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or, a prize for the best player in the world game over the previous 12 months that usually goes to superstar attackers whose skills and strengths are easier for fans to appreciate.

Rodri’s attributes can be more difficult to recognise from a distance but, in that World Cup final, Argentina were well aware of his importance, trying everything to stop him, including fellow midfielder Leandro Paredes hitting him with a cynical cheap-shot off the ball.

But those on his side always know his worth. “We’ve always said that Rodri is the best player in the world,” Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said after the final.

Rodri added the World Cup to his list of honours that already boasted the 2024 European Championship title with Spain, and the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, plus four Premier League titles and five domestic cups in England, with City.

Rodri won the Champions League and four league titles at City (Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

In a neat twist of fate, Rodri was also in the north-east of the United States during Spain’s other World Cup final win, back in 2010.

Two years ago, he wrote in The Players’ Tribune about watching Spain’s win over the Netherlands in that South Africa-hosted tournament on a mini laptop owned by one of the counsellors at a summer camp in the middle of a forest in central Connecticut, which the then 14-year-old Madrid native was attending to improve his English.

That is just one example of how Rodri is not an ordinary footballer. He has no social media accounts, and does not care for expensive sneakers or fast cars.

Even after he started to come to prominence at La Liga club Villarreal as a teenager, he was still studying for a degree in accounting and economics, living in the university’s residential areas and driving a battered Opel Corsa to training. Around then, he also started dating Laura, a medical student who is now his wife.

Rodri thrived at Villarreal, having been released by his first club, Atletico Madrid, when he was 16 due to concerns he was too small to make it as a professional (pretty ironic now he stands about 190cm/6ft 3in).

In 2015, he won a European Under-19 Championship with Spain, along with future senior international team-mates Unai Simon and Mikel Merino. A La Liga debut with Villarreal soon followed, and within three years he was a full Spain international and had returned to Atletico in a €25million transfer (about $28m/£21m at current rates).

Rodri spent just one season in Atletico’s first team — and there were tensions as he and the club’s Argentine coach Diego Simeone had different ideas about the role of a holding midfielder. Rodri has since paid credit to Simeone’s influence on his career.

“When I was at Villarreal, I was very good with the ball at my feet, but I was still a bit soft,” he later told The Players’ Tribune. “Under Simeone (himself an international-level defensive midfielder in his playing days), I learned what it means to be the bad guy. To be a bit of a b*****d on the pitch.”

Rodri playing under Simeone, who he praised for improving his game (Oscar Del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)

During and after this summer’s World Cup final against Argentina, Rodri did not react to the provocation from over-aggressive opponents. But he did also show a streetwise side to his game with a sly jersey tug in the first half to make sure Argentina’s star man Lionel Messi was unable to counter-attack dangerously.

That hard side to his character and his playing style also allowed Rodri to thrive in the Premier League after City paid his £62.6million ($83m) release clause to take him from Atletico in July 2019.

Rodri quickly settled into becoming City’s most important player, carrying the ideas and attitude of their manager Pep Guardiola onto the pitch. Team-mates such as strikers Sergio Aguero and Erling Haaland may have made more headlines, but the holding midfielder playing further back on the field quietly maintained the team structure so that others could shine. His metronomic passes kept the opponent boxed back in, while his reading of the game helped to close down rival teams’ attacks.

While Rodri does most of his work near the centre of the pitch, he picks his moments to strike in attacking areas, such as arriving in the penalty area to steer in the only goal of City’s 1-0 Champions League final win over Inter of Italy in 2023.

The following summer, Rodri was again crucial as Spain won the 2024 Euros, scoring a rare international goal when the team was struggling in an early group game against Georgia.

“The biggest virtue a leader must have is to remain calm when there’s a heavy storm,” Rodri said during that tournament. “Trying to guide the team and show them the light when your team-mates struggle to find the right option. This is a good leader.”

Rodri limped off during the victory over England in that tournament’s final with an injury, and further fitness problems hampered him through the past two seasons in Manchester. Whether by coincidence or not, City did not win the Premier League in either of those years, after doing so in each of the four previous campaigns with the Spaniard central to their team.

Having barely played for Spain since Euro 2024 due to injury, including an ACL tear that kept him out of action for eight months and limited him for far longer, Rodri returned to form and effectiveness at this summer’s World Cup, again showing an uncanny ability to make maximum impact when most needed.

Moving back to Spanish club football at some point was always on the cards. Rodri knows what it is to come through tough times and return to the very top.

“For me, it’s been a very tough time,” Rodri said during Spain’s World Cup-winning celebrations.

“I said to the lads before the game, ‘We need to face them, look into their eyes’. We were brave, and I was brave in that moment when I was down. I want to thank all the people that helped me. But I want to thank myself, to be honest, in those moments.”

Liverpool completed their pre-season preparations for the start of the Andoni Iraola era with two games on Sunday.

The first, a forgettable 0-0 in a 70-minute runout against Italian side Como, was followed by a 90-minuter against the same side later in the day.

Defender Jeremy Jacquet made his first appearance since his move from Rennes after recovering from injury, impressed in defence and even got on the scoresheet, much to the delight of the Kop.

Cody Gakpo, linked with a move away, also scored while Victor Munoz also gave a good account of himself.

So with Iraola’s first Premier League game in charge coming against Newcastle United on Sunday, what did we learn?

Andy Jones and Gregg Evans look at the talking points.

Where does Jacquet fit in?

Jeremy Jacquet stood tall on his first game in red and showed those watching exactly why Liverpool were so keen to acquire his services.

The 21-year-old impressed from the first minute with his composure on the ball, ability to wriggle out of tight spaces and blistering recovery speed.

After missing most of the summer with a minor knee injury sustained as he was recovering from a shoulder injury, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he was a little rusty.
Instead, he marshalled the defence alongside Virgil van Dijk without ever looking flustered.

The Kop even began singing his name as early as the 16th minute and by half-time, when he was replaced, he was the player generating the most discussion after scoring the second goal.

Not everything about his performance was perfect, but when he did fall out of position or lose his opponent, he was quick to recover. There were key interceptions, last-ditch tackles, and a handful of rapid sprints that were particularly eye-catching.

With Ibrahima Konate out the door and starting a new chapter at Real Madrid, there’s a chance for Jacquet to flourish providing he can stay fit. After a display like that, he will be expected to start the Premier League opener at Newcastle on Sunday ahead of Ronald Araujo, who was steady on his debut after a half-time introduction.

Gregg Evans

How is Gakpo looking this summer?

As supporters continue to wait for a breakthrough in the pursuit of Bradley Barcola, the man who could end up making way if he arrives reminded everyone watching of his qualities.

Cody Gakpo suffered a dip in form last season and has been constantly linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, who are interested in the Dutchman but yet to make any meaningful progress.

This summer, though, Gakpo has returned with a spring in his step and backed up a solid display against Monaco last week with another good performance here.

In this victory, he showed a combination of close skill and clever decision-making before scoring the opening goal with a powerful finish.

When he plays with such direct, attacking poise, he’s a real handful and an important source of goals. If he does stay on board, then Liverpool need him to find the form that made him such a hit in the 2024-25 title-winning season.

(Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

However, until the window closes, he’ll continue to be a hot topic. As well his best friend at Liverpool, Curtis Jones, who, unlike Gakpo, has failed to make an impact under Iraola so far. Liverpool said Jones was suffering with a hip injury that “wasn’t worth risking” last week and again it was enough to keep him out as he completed an individual session at the AXA Training Centre.

The midfielder’s future remains uncertain as he’s now into the final year of his contract and no closer to extending. Inter Milan have tried to sign him this summer but are yet to reach Liverpool’s €40million valuation and his absence continues to raise discussions about whether he’ll still be at the club next month.

Gregg Evans

How did Munoz look?

While there were few fireworks in Liverpool’s first friendly, the performance of summer signing Victor Munoz offered further encouragement about the threat he can offer to Iraola’s side.

The 23-year-old made his first start after a 30-minute cameo in the 3-2 defeat to Monaco last weekend. While he struggled to impose himself in that match, he was Liverpool’s main source of creativity during his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Almost immediately we saw some of Munoz’s standout traits. On three minutes, he received the ball out wide, twisted and turned away from the opposition defender and crossed for Trey Nyoni, who headed wide.

Munoz has had a good pre-season sinc ehis move (Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Two minutes later, from a standing start, he showed off his speed and acceleration to race past a defender to the byline, but his low cross was blocked for a corner. There was a similar moment in the second half when he skipped past two Como challenges before forcing another corner.

The end product was the main element that he was lacking, but the creativity was there. He nearly found Federico Chiesa with a through ball in the first half and then the pair connected in the second half when Munoz’s near post cross was flicked on by the Italy international into the arms of the goalkeeper.

There seemed to be an early understanding with midfielder Alexis Mac Allister — who made his first appearance in pre-season, clocking up 59 minutes — as the Argentina international looked to play the ball in behind Como’s right full-back for Munoz to run on to.

His day was not over, either as he played 17 minutes in the second game. This time he played on the right flank, highlighting the versatility he has.

It remains early days, but given Liverpool’s attack was so devoid of pace and dynamism last season, he will offer Iraola something different that should cause opposition problems.

Andy Jones