Rodri encapsulates Spain’s team-first ethos as World Cup squad’s anonymous star

Source: New York Post

There may not be a more perfect encapsulation of Spain than the fact that its best player at this World Cup doesn’t have a goal or assist, isn’t in any advertisements and plays a position deep enough that an untrained eye can go 90 minutes without noticing him. Compared to Lionel Messi, whose teammates sing about winning in honor of and who is spoken about with God-like reverence in every corner of the soccer world, Rodri is the most anonymous Ballon d’Or winner on the planet. That, though, is the ethos and appeal of Spain, which heads into Sunday’s World Cup Final with the chance to knock Argentina off its perch and complete what would be a dominant run to the trophy.