Manchester City star Rodri made a surprising choice when asked who he considered the ‘greatest of all time’ at the 2023/24 PFA awards, bypassing both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Rodri had an impressive couple of years leading up to the summer, playing a crucial role in Spain’s victory at Euro 2024 in Germany, where they were crowned European champions.
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The partnership between the Manchester City midfielder and Fabian Ruiz proved overwhelming for any international team at the tournament, with Rodri earning the Player of the Tournament award after their final win over England.
Despite his outstanding performance, Rodri was substituted at half-time during the final due to an injury. However, the 28-year-old did not address the injury or communicate with City’s medical team during the summer.
This led to Rodri’s absence from City’s squad for their Premier League opener, with Pep Guardiola confirming the situation before the match.
“He didn’t train. I haven’t seen him yet. I think he feels good, but he needs to get back to training. We’ll see how he feels once he starts moving his body. There’s no chance of him playing,” Guardiola explained.
Although he was left out of the City squad, there was no way Rodri would be excluded from the PFA Team of the Year, with the annual PFA awards held in Manchester on Tuesday night.
Rodri was selected alongside teammates Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and Kyle Walker in the team.
At the event, Rodri was asked a series of questions, including who he believed to be the GOAT. It’s safe to say that his answer was unexpected.
When asked, Rodri responded ‘Kevin De Bruyne’ without hesitation, completely overlooking both Ronaldo and Messi, despite having played against them.
Rodri and De Bruyne have indeed had an impressive run together, winning four consecutive titles, so it’s understandable why Rodri holds the Belgian in such high regard.
However, Rodri may have shown a bit of favoritism in his answers, as he chose a teammate, past or present, for every single category.
Rodri’s full answers via Goal:
Best goalscorer: Erling Haaland
Most underrated: Ilkay Gundogan
Speed: Jeremy Doku
Best friend in football: Koke
Scariest player: Erling Haaland
Highest potential: Oscar Bobb
Big game player: Rodri
Most skillful: Riyad Mahrez
Greatest of all time: Kevin De Bruyne
