Graham HunterMar 10, 2026, 04:15 AM ETCloseGraham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Suárez: Worst Real Madrid side in twenty years fighting for LaLiga title (2:13)Mario Suárez and the “ESPN FC” crew discuss Real Madrid performance in their 2-1 win over Celta de Vigo. (2:13)
Among a host of well-documented problems lurks the granddaddy of them all: a gaping lack of visionary, technically exceptional, creative, physically dominant footballing leadership in the middle of the pitch.
If you used computer-aided-design to formulate the precise talent, height, experience, temperament, hunger for trophies, attitude, technical repertoire, mentality, vision, experience and nationality of the player that the 15-time European champions desperately need now, and going forward, the player that any half-decent system would produce is the Manchester City and Spain captain. How ironic.
The 29-year-old has only 15 months on his contract left. That’s a distinct oddity for a player of such high value not to already be renewed for a longer stay at City. Madrid wouldn’t be alone in excitedly eyeing up either obtaining him on a free transfer in summer 2027, or negotiating a cut-price fee in this next market by betting that City aren’t keen to lose such a proven player without recouping some of their investment.
Now, Rodri enjoys the culture at City; he’s also in their debt to a certain extent for how they’ve looked after him during his long knee-injury downtime. This is a loyal guy, but common sense must be telling Madrid’s big bosses a couple of important things.
First, it’ll be very hard to find a better candidate to solve their chronic midfield difficulties. Second, there’s an opportunity cost here. Madrid keenly don’t want either Barcelona or Atlético Madrid to be the ones to repatriate this man so that, having been on the receiving end of his exploits while at Atléti, City and Villarreal, the pattern continues, but with more regularity.
“Finally [Rodri’s form and consistency] is happening like we wanted it to a long time ago, when he came back from injury — to not have setbacks to have consistency to play, play, and play,” Guardiola admitted at the weekend. “Step by step, he’s getting better and better. Everybody knows it.”
And if Real Madrid called you directly, would you answer the phone? That was the follow-up question.
“Man! Slamming doors shut on things which might or mightn’t happen wouldn’t really make sense,” Rodri said. “If any of the other top clubs in the world show interest in me, then that’s positive. When the day comes that I’ve got to decide my future, when a decision is called for, then the more clubs who want you, the better!”
Themes that all the Real Madrid staff, squad, fan base and media understand but tactics they probably aren’t going to see Los Blancos enforcing quite as well as the one who got away does over these two vital matches.
“One of the most difficult parts of this role is knowing what to do when you win possession: when to take a risk vs. when to calm things. I think that’s the most important quality for a defensive midfielder: setting the match tempo. Play the ball out and look directly for the forwards all the time, you’re ‘attacking minded,’ but you’ll lose possession more often and face many more transitions against you. But if you never play to the forwards, backwards or horizontally, then you’ll never get into dangerous scoring areas!
Suárez: Worst Real Madrid side in twenty years fighting for LaLiga title (2:13)Mario Suárez and the “ESPN FC” crew discuss Real Madrid performance in their 2-1 win over Celta de Vigo. (2:13)
Mario Suárez and the “ESPN FC” crew discuss Real Madrid performance in their 2-1 win over Celta de Vigo. (2:13)
Graham HunterMar 10, 2026, 04:15 AM ETCloseGraham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseGraham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team.Follow on X
The sequential departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, exacerbated by a certain degree of tunnel vision in Madrid’s recruitment, has left the squad with loads of youthful promise, endeavor, know-how, height and power — plus goal threat when Jude Bellingham is fit and in form — but not a single leader who takes charge of a match, who dictates patterns, tempo, orchestrates everything his teammates do, who is a direct extension of the coaching team on the pitch.
Over these two matches, it’s going to be like a dose of salt rubbed fiercely into a raw Real Madrid wound that City are once again governed by a man in the prime of his career, a man born in the Spanish capital, a Ballon d’Or-winning organizing midfielder who has captained Spain to victory in the UEFA Nations League and the European Championship — and, worse still for agitated, unsatisfied Real Madrid season-ticket holders, a man whose all-time idol remains one of Los Blancos’ greatest ever players or coaches: Zinedine Zidane.
How many minutes Rodri gets across these two matches — the 12th and 13th times Madrid and City have gone head-to-head in just six years — won’t only be dictated by his brilliance or his potential to make life very tough for Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga & Co. Pep Guardiola is still being slightly protective regarding his on-pitch leader — Rodri was rested for the FA Cup win at Newcastle United, for example — but I’d bet it’ll prove that this was a decision aimed at helping Rodri get ready to eliminate Los Blancos from European competition.