₦airaland Forum

Ibime should apologize to Rodri. Your Jorginho made sense but Rodri shits on you. He is the greatest DM of his generation.

The pass master. 🎓

Rodri has completed more passes at the 2026 World Cup than any other player has a single tournament on record. 

◎ 705 attempted
◉ 655 completed 
◎ 92.91% pass accuracy 

The Spaniard has also completed more final third passes than any other player at the 2026 World Cup.

◎ 187 attempted
◉ 173 completed 
◎ 92.51% final 1/3 pass accuracy 

His 92.51% final third pass accuracy is the highest of any player to attempt 100+ final third passes at the tournament. 

The man who makes Spain tick. 🇪🇸🕰️

afrodoc2:
Olise flopped almost throughout the knockout stage. Immediately it got to Rd 16 his assists dried up but his nonchalant fine boy football continued. He kept trying to nutmeg Spanish players that if you lose the ball to them, it will take you 4 Eke market days to get the ball back.

andrewbaba44:
Why didn’t Chelsea wait till the end of the wc before they sold Cucu ?

What exactly did cucu play last night to warrant this statement ?

odizeey:
Agenda can take another shape but it cannot be destroyed

Hahaha. You no just well this man

swiz123:
Busquet was a fine player but Rodri is more complete.

Because Rodri is now playing with less talented Spanish midfielders. Unlike what we had in the past.

The three champions League final that Barca won in 2009, 2011 & 2015 Messi won the man of the match just once in 2011.

2009 was Xavi
2015 was Iniesta.
2011 UEFA Super Cup Barca 🆚 Porto. Iniesta won the man of the match.
Copa De Rey final 2016 & 2018 Andres Iniesta won the Man of the Match award on both occasions.

UEFA Euro 2012 Iniesta bossed Italy & won the man of the match even though he no score or record any assist in the match.
I no won talk about the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final.

My point is that, during Sergio Busquet era with Spain, he had way better competitors, players like Xavi and Iniesta who were better. Not that he's poor, but those guys were simply better than him.

Spanish possession football don't need you to be a pace merchant or be a physical monster. Just be extremely good on the ball, be very good in tight spaces, have great positioning & awareness. This is also part of the reason Rodri thrived better in the EPL. When he dey ATM with Simeone Haram football, he no win any domestic title with ATM.

A40:


No use awada kill me this guy

What did Casillas win while Canizares was still in Spain? Van Bommel used to bench Xavi. Eddie Jones used to bench Kobe Bryant

What does that matter in the grand scheme of things?

When Busquets was in Europe Rodri was leading his team to a continental treble. Scoring a Champions league Final winner and voted player of the tournament. That's impact not the passenger role Busquets dey do

Enrique's mistake of playing and relying on Busquets when he was finished is what led to failure for Spain. You see now what happens when Rodri is in charge. Back to back finals of World and Euros as the star man. None of which passenger Busquets ever achieved.

Latino Derek Fisher is what Busquets is

when Busquet marshalling the midfield of barca and spain where were you and rodri? You will have to tender an unreserved apology because this is injustice to football. You have no right to diminish the feats of midfield maestro. When buskirt was blocking the midfield rodri was learning from him. Andrewbaba44, you are here and this man decimating a legend

Skimpledawg:
Hahaha. You no just well this man

Up Argentina.

popizaino:
What Rodri is doing is still very much fresh in their memory.

There's no comparison. Sergio Busquet is head and shoulder above Rodri .

You cannot measure the work of a DM using all these football metrics.

You just have to watch them both to know Sergio Busquet was operating at a level Rodri will never attain even if Spain wins the world cup.

I don't know how to tell someone that Sergio Busquet did not pass the ball to messi to assist him against real Madrid in the UCL semi-finals in 2011. He just stood there for messi to drive the ball pass real Madrid defenders before slotting pass Casillas.

That instance, the IQ, that moment cannot be quantify using any metrics. It takes deep understanding of the game to understand that moment.

And whilst trying to downplay Sergio Busquet impact in the game down to xavi and iniesta, he has quickly forgotten that Del-bosque who happens to coach all of them said watch SB and you will see the whole game including xavi and iniesta

If I am scoring SB 97% in the DM work I am scoring Rodri 87% with Micheal carrick having 89%.

bravo! bravo! This is what am talking about. A40, you have offended the gods of football. We demand atonement for your sins

Godx:
Chelsea will regret selling Cucurella
and Curbasi would fit In well at City. Young player of the tournament in my book.

how will Chelsea regret selling a fullback that hardly overlap. He prefers to sit inside the attacking half to recycle possession instead of bumping forward to spam crosses

A40:
Busquets has never been the best player at his position never mind an entire tournament or season

Busquets without Xavi and Barca tax is Latino Nicky Butt.

You keep repeating the same argument, "Busquets played with Xavi, Busquets play with Xayi" As if Rodri has been playing all by himself.
Rodri has also spent his career alongside world-class players too. Great teammates don't automatically make you a great player, they simply give you the platform to show your quality.
Judge Busquets by hid individual performances, influence, and consistency, not by who his teammates were.

Just let Rodri win WC as Spain generalissmo in midfield and you dare mention Busquets where people gather whether them no go stone you bottle

If Rodri wins the World Cup, what exactly has he achieved that Busquets didn't already achieve first?
He will simply be adding another World Cup to a résumé that still queues behind Busquets' in that regard. Busquets already set the standard.
So let Rodri win the World Cup first. Then we can have this conversation. Until then, it's all hypothetical.

afrodoc2:
Olise flopped almost throughout the knockout stage. Immediately it got to Rd 16 his assists dried up but his nonchalant fine boy football continued. He kept trying to nutmeg Spanish players that if you lose the ball to them, it will take you 4 Eke market days to get the ball back.

The game being disrupted from the midfield was the main issue IMO. The French midfielders were poor with midfield ethics plus they were also outnumbered sha so that had an effect on the volume of passes the forwards received. Argentina or england (best off the ball in the world cup) would be more aggressive and physical in that side

Sportsweb:
He may end up unfortunate like Neymar. No Balon dor', no UCL. But I still believe he will win UCL

He would still get his UCL and ballon d'or but he winning this world cup would have elevated his CV to legendary status before the age of 30 sha

Unlimited22:
You are insane, sir, with all due respect

Kilishihunter:
The game being disrupted from the midfield was the main issue IMO. The French midfielders were poor with midfield ethics plus they were also outnumbered sha so that had an effect on the volume of passes the forwards received. Argentina or england (best off the ball in the world cup) would be more aggressive and physical in that side

Oh yeah i know. He is not the main reason we lost.

Midfield, full back, coaching. Those are the things that cost us the most.

andrewbaba44:
Why didn’t Chelsea wait till the end of the wc before they sold Cucu ?

Fr
They would have gotten 80mil for him

airmark:
Like Suarez I don port go Merseyside Messi side since na.

Well congratulations to Spain 😂🥲

Ibime:
We anti-Barca gang are really suffering this tournament

All hopes on England to save us

Guy no be small thing.

Make England save person

afrodoc2:
Oh yeah i know. He is not the main reason we lost.

Midfield, full back, coaching. Those are the things that cost us the most.

Zidane has to search for a CM that can at the least hold the ball in tight places, maybe the ones with north African roots before Morocco or Algeria discover them. Cherki might have to get game time later sef. It's crazy how Deschamps has been playing quite conservatively before he switched it this tournament. I'm not saying that would have made them beat Spain but yesterday looked easier cause of the midfield mismatch

Emaprince:
Guy no be small thing.

Make England save person

God epp us

The noise is too much from our enemies

Ibime:
God epp us

The noise is too much from our enemies

Argentina winning go give us peace of mind baba cause tuchel can go and employ dark arts with 25% possession to steal a win. England's wingers biggest strengths are even on transition sef

Emaprince:
Guy no be small thing.

Make England save person

Emaprince:
England vs france Definitely

BlueRayDick come ooh..
Oga Emma don update the list again

From the group stage through the Round of 16, Argentina had the highest VAR intervention rate in their favour per 100 fouls among all World Cup quarter-finalists 👀

Meanwhile, not a single VAR intervention went against them 🫣

Tchoumeni has always been average Midfielder.

It's no surprise under him Barca keep spanking Real Madrid and Spain always boss France..

Zidane and France should work on midfied, get another top black African Midfielder to choose France over his ancestry country

France lose everywhere gentle
Footbal no be for emotional people abeg ..

Unpopular opinion:
Portugal gave Spain a much tougher game than France did yesterday. The hype around this French team has been way too much.

fredoooooo:
France lose everywhere gentle
Footbal no be for emotuonal people abeg ..

Yes oo. Same thing before World cup i no hear word with Portugal. As them flog Portugal, I no hear word with France. You'll think France had quality players in every position. Team wey Kounde, Digne, Rabiot, Tchumeni and Barcola are starters lol. The 2018 team had more quality but with less hype. Kante, Pogba, Matuidi, Griezmann did so much work in that team.

They're simply top heavy. The overall quality isn't spread enough in my opinion.

A40:


No use awada kill me this guy

What did Casillas win while Canizares was still in Spain? Van Bommel used to bench Xavi. Eddie Jones used to bench Kobe Bryant

What does that matter in the grand scheme of things?

When Busquets was in Europe Rodri was leading his team to a continental treble. Scoring a Champions league Final winner and voted player of the tournament. That's impact not the passenger role Busquets dey do

Enrique's mistake of playing and relying on Busquets when he was finished is what led to failure for Spain. You see now what happens when Rodri is in charge. Back to back finals of World and Euros as the star man. None of which passenger Busquets ever achieved.

Latino Derek Fisher is what Busquets is

It matters in the grand scheme of things .

It shows Busquet superiority over his peers.

How can Drogba be playing and Solomon Kalou be starting? O wrong now.

No DM ever played along a generational talent AM and got accolades.

Why won't Rodri be sweeping awards playing alongside bums like Olmo.

You think Rodri will win any awards playing alongside Zidane like Makelele did?

Or will Rodri see any awards playing alongside Kaka like Andrea Pirlo did?

Infact any DM getting really notice is not doing his work. That role is underrated not meant to be loud.

2006 Andrea Pirlo was the one balling for the Azzurri na Canavaro dey get the recognition.

Nothing Rodri is doing exceptional,he can't lace SB shoe anywhere.

andrewbaba44:
Because na double standards go kpai una

Imagine that Pk yamal won was an Argentine player ,or the Olise foul against rodri that he didn’t get a red ,una for don set this internet on fire

no be lie my bro.
People watch every other team with their eyes, but when it comes to Argentina, they watch it with microscope, telescope and magnifying lens and they suddenly become detectives, and every single touch is treated like a crime scene. 🤣

OkpaNsukkaisBae:
BlueRayDick come ooh..
Oga Emma don update the list again

Software successfully updated

Based IFAB law 12

an accidental handball is only punished if:

the player scores directly after the ball touches their hand/arm (even accidentally), the hand/arm made the body unnaturally bigger, or it was deliberate.

If the arm is in a natural position and doesn't make the body bigger(like in the case of Yamal), it's not automatically an offence just because it led to an attacking move. In fact, IFAB specifically states that accidental handball creating a goalscoring opportunity is no longer an offence

Ibime:
Go and check the rules on any handball (intentional or not) giving the attacker a goal advantage. AI cannot interpret FIFALONA own rules in isolation. If the handball is unintentional but leads to a goalscoring opportunity , the goal is to be cancelled. The VAR should be sacked.

swiz123:
It tells us nothing other than a good player accorded the respect he deserves. A non nostalgic observer could clearly see that Rodri was better at the time. You just feel those Busi fanciful turns makes him better. Rodri is better because he is durable and can cover a lot of distance to ensure possession is kept all through the game.

On the physical side, he is also more imposing and a great ball winner.

The metrics of a DM cannot be quantified or measured using any of your statistics, it is why they hardly get recognized even when doing the most.

Rodri is not doing anything special that Sergio Busquet didn't surpass in his first season alone at Barca.

Recency bias shouldn't make you lose focus on what SB brought to the DM role. It goes beyond awards and the rest.