EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey ¨C Spain¡¯s midfield rock Rodri hopes younger generations can learn from his experience in overcoming adversity after he won the World Cup ?on Sunday to complete his collection of the game¡¯s major prizes less than ?two years ?after rupturing his knee ligaments.
The 30-year-old was named the tournament¡¯s ?best player and joined greats Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Zinedine Zidane as the only men to win the World Cup and European Championship at international level, ?the European Cup/Champions League with his club, and the Ballon d¡¯Or.
His achievement was all the more ?remarkable for the fact that he arrived at the tournament still looking for the dominant form that brought him soccer¡¯s most prestigious individual ?award in 2024 after helping Spain ?win the Euros and steering his club Manchester City to a record unbeaten streak of 74 matches with him in ?the side.
¡°It feels like ?the perfect script,¡± he ?said after receiving FIFA¡¯s Player of the Tournament award, confusingly named the ?Golden ?Ball. ¡°I certainly didn¡¯t expect this.
¡°I¡¯d love for the younger generations to see that a player who touches the heavens, then descends into hell, can come back. It¡¯s a lesson in overcoming adversity.¡±
Rodri may be Spain¡¯s most influential player, but La ?Furia Roja are all about the collective, and Rodri heaped praise on his teammates for the way they kept at their task against a resilient Argentina side and finally secured a 1-0 victory with a Ferran Torres goal in the second period of extra time.
¡°That¡¯s ?the ?secret of the national team,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re always going to ?go for you. In the end, God rewards you. We¡¯ve been brave.
¡°We¡¯re on Cloud 9,¡± ?he added. ¡°This squad is sensational. We¡¯re two-time World Cup champions. It was the toughest tournament in World Cup history. We beat a great Argentina side, featuring (Lionel) Messi, the best player in history.¡±
Although it was a tough final, Rodri ?was in no doubt that his team deserved to join their Spanish 2010 predecessors by lifting the biggest prize in the game.
¡°Argentina. World champions,¡± he said. ¡°They haven¡¯t created much, but they¡¯re hard to break down. Spain are simply very good, and in the end, the result was fair.¡±
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