Having initially joined the Club from Atletico Madrid in 2019, the midfielder has now extended his stay at the Etihad Stadium until 2027.
In his 151 appearances for City so far, he has already forged a reputation as one of world football’s most effective defensive midfielders.
Still only 26, the Spanish international’s stay at the Etihad Stadium can be characterised by both a remarkable consistency and season upon season improvement.
And the below stats emphasise both the crucial role that Rodrigo plays in Pep Guardiola’s City side and the impact he has had on the Premier League over his three seasons at the Club to date.
In possession
In a team where possessional dominance is a key identifying feature, Rodrigo’s numbers on the ball demonstrate how he is consistently at the centre of our build-up play.
Rodrigo has made 11,856 passes across his 151 appearances for the Club so far at an astonishing average of over 78 per match.
Across his three seasons at the Etihad Stadium, the 26-year-old has misplaced just 933 of those passes, with his completion rate coming in at a remarkable rate of 91.6% in all competitions.
Focusing on the Premier League, he has also completed more successful passes per 90 minutes than any other midfielder in two of his three seasons in English football (2019/20 and 2021/22).
These incredible numbers were exemplified by a particularly astonishing return against West Ham in February 2020, when the Spaniard completed 178 of his 188 attempted passes. Both were Premier League records since detailed collection began in 2003-04, with the entire Hammers’ team completing 169.
Rodrigo also enjoyed more touches of the ball than any other Premier League midfielder in both 2019/20 and 2021/22, with Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg the only player in the Spaniard’s position able to better his total in any of his three seasons in English football.
Last season, however, the 26-year-old took that to a new level, with his haul of 3,246 touches bettered only by City teammate Joao Cancelo.
Out of possession
While his quality on the ball is unquestionably a vital asset to City, Rodrigo’s positional intelligence and ability to screen the play when out of possession often go under the radar.
Sitting in front of the Premier League’s meanest defence in each of the past two seasons, the Spaniard’s ability to read the play and screen potential threats before they develop have proved essential in that success.
Across the 2021/22 campaign, for example, the 26-year-old averaged 9.1 recoveries per 90 minutes; the third-most of any midfielder and just 1.1 fewer than the metric’s leader, Kalvin Phillips.
Once again, Rodrigo has shown remarkable consistency in this instance, also ranking third among his peers in 2020/21 with a haul of 9.3 recoveries per match, while his debut campaign in English football saw him finish eighth at an average of 8.3.
In all competitions, our no. 16 won the ball 399 times in 46 appearances last season at an average of 8.6 per match – further demonstrating the importance of his anticipation, tenacity and timing in our defensive setup.
However, his 2021/22 haul was no anomaly, with the Spaniard has regaining possession 1,140 times across his 151 City appearances at an average of 7.5 per match.
The role of a defensive midfielder is one that is often overlooked, but Rodrigo’s value to Pep Guardiola’s side, both in terms of his ability on the ball and intensity off it, cannot be overstated.
His decision to extend his stay at the Club is sure to be celebrated just as enthusiastically by his manager and teammates as it is the City supporters.
2021/22:
All comps
Passes: 3860
Success: 3556
Accuracy: 92.1%
Possession won: 399
Premier League:
Passes average 89.3 (1st of all PL midfielders)
Pass success average 82.0 (1st of all Premier League midfielders)
Pass accuracy – 91.8% (2nd of all Premier League midfielders)
Possession recoveries per 90 – 9.1 (3rd of all Premier League midfielders)
2020/21:
All comps
Passes: 4117
Success: 3767
Accuracy: 91.5%
Possession won: 397
Premier League
Passes per 90 average 91.2 (2nd most)
Pass success average 83.3 (2nd most)
Passing accuracy – 91.3% (6th most)
Possession won - 397
Possession recoveries – 9.3 (3rd of all Premier League midfielders)
2019/20:
All comps
Passes: 3879
Success: 3600
Accuracy: 92.8%
Possession won: 344
Premier League
Passes per 90 average 93.4 (1st)
Pass success 86.7 (1st)
Passing accuracy – 92.8% (1st)
Possession recoveries – 8.3 (8th of all Premier League midfielders)
