Player says Rodri is “good in everything that can be good in a midfielder”; Manchester City signed Gonzalez in January for £50m
Manchester City’s January signing Nico Gonzalez has said he is impressed by the ability of team-mate Rodri, calling the Spaniard “even better” than he expected after training and playing alongside him in recent weeks.
Gonzalez arrived from Porto in a £50 million winter move to bolster Pep Guardiola’s midfield. The club had been searching for additional support in the centre of the pitch following Rodri’s long spell on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury.
Since joining, the 23-year-old has been working closely with his more experienced compatriot, who returned to action in City’s final Premier League home game of last season. Rodri also played a 30-minute cameo in City’s Club World Cup opener against Wydad.
When asked whether the Ballon d’Or winner was as good as he’d imagined, Gonzalez said: “Even better.”
The former Porto man added: “I try to see all the passes the players don’t see and take as much from him as I can. He helps me a lot, he is Spanish and we are starting to have a good relationship.”
Rodri won the Ballon d’Or after a sensational 2022-23 campaign where he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final to help Guardiola’s side to the last piece of their treble. The Spaniard has been carefully managed by City’s medical staff as he works his way back to full fitness.
“He has been [back] a couple of months. He is an amazing player and really good in everything that can be good in a midfielder,” said Gonzalez.
“I am trying to learn the most I can and I think I am starting to watch him at his best level. I am seeing things that I haven’t seen in a lot of midfielders.”
