Hansi Flick Hails New Barcelona Signing Rodri as World's Best No. 6
Key Takeaways
- •Hansi Flick described Rodri as the best No. 6 in world football and said the midfielder can help Barcelona a great deal.
- •Rodri has joined a Barcelona midfield that also features Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong.
- •Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or and was named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024.
- •He scored the winning goal for Manchester City in the 2023 Champions League final against Inter Milan.
- •Flick’s lineup choices around Rodri are expected to be an important tactical question for Barcelona this season.
Via beinsports.com
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, who took charge of the club in 2024 after guiding Bayern Munich to a 2020 Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal treble and a stint with the German national team, has praised new signing Rodri as the best defensive midfielder in world football, in comments reported Tuesday by transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.
"With Rodri, we've signed the best No. 6 in the world," Flick said. "He can help us a lot."
Flick added that it was "fantastic" to have the midfielder with the squad, and indicated that the player can help the club significantly after joining the team.
The manager's assessment matches Rodri's standing in the game. The Spain international won the 2024 Ballon d'Or, was named Player of the Tournament as Spain lifted Euro 2024, and scored the winning goal in Manchester City's 2023 Champions League final victory over Inter Milan during a treble-winning season with the English club.
At Barcelona, Rodri links up with Spain teammates Pedri and Gavi, as well as Frenkie de Jong, and how Flick arranges that midfield around his new No. 6 is one of the tactical questions facing the club in the season ahead.