- Rodri has won it all at Man City
- Lifted Ballon d’Or two years ago
- Nico Gonzalez waxes lyrical
Nico Gonzalez has been speaking about how he has been inspired by Rodri, while making a huge claim about the midfielder.
Rodri has been captivating the Etihad Stadium for seven years with his professionalism and brilliance. However, the Spaniard’s journey to success was not straightforward, as he had to bounce back from an early setback.
In 2013, Rodri was released from Atletico Madrid’s academy because he was deemed to be too physically weak.
Despite this, the one-time Ballon d’Or winner later joined the La Liga club’s senior team, before quickly making the step up to Manchester City.
Nico Gonzalez calls Rodri the world’s best player
Appearing in a Man City video about Spanish comforts with Rodri, Nico has talked about how he has been inspired by his fellow countryman and teammate.
The 24-year-old has addressed Rodri’s early career struggles and marveled at how he was able to transform himself into the greatest player in the world.
“And I hear you saying that maybe the Ballon d’Or isn’t something you want to be your most important achievement in your career, because you’ve won the Champions League, Premier Leagues, Euros with Spain.
“You’ve done amazing things, and we’re now on the same team. But I haven’t even done a tenth of that.
I think the greatest inspiration you can give me or any young Spanish kid, is you left Atletico because they let you go. Someone who at 16 or 17, went to Villarreal, has managed to become the best player in the world. It’s incredibly inspiring, amazing.”
Nico feels ‘lucky’ to be at Man City
There have been reports about interest in Nico, considering the midfielder’s role at Man City has been fairly insignificant this season.
Nevertheless, it would appear he has no desire to leave the Citizens, but is instead planning to experience the success Rodri has felt at the club over the past six years.
Nico added: “And now I’m at City, which makes me incredibly lucky. And to think one day I might experience all the things you’ve experienced in football, well, it motivates and inspires me a lot.”
City already have their Rodri replacement
Whether it is this summer or further down the line, there is going to be a time when Rodri decides to part ways with the Citizens.
When that happens, Pep Guardiola, or whoever is managing the club, needs to look to the players already at their disposal.
Nico is a talented midfielder and he showed in the FA Cup semi-final how important his contributions can be.
There are similarities in his and Rodri’s games and it could soon be time to truly utilise what Nico has to offer.
