368 days, 5000 minutes, 61 matches unbeaten Rodri

Football is a team sport. So the team is above everything or no player is bigger and more important than the team - the words are often heard.

But a team is won by one player. Sometimes a player is lucky enough to perform well throughout the season and becomes an indispensable part of the team. How much influence does he have on the team and how does he make a difference between the two teams? Maybe it won't be understood. But when it doesn't, the lack is deeply felt.

If you want to name the best examples of such footballers today, Rodri's name would be at the top. Manchester City's Spanish midfielder has been unbeaten for over a year. This means that he entered the field, his team did not lose in such a match! Spain lost 2-0 to Scotland in the UEFA European Championship qualifying match on March 28 last year. From that day to this day, the national team and the club have won or drawn the matches in which he played.

Rodri's statistics at this time are eye-opening and forehead-raising. He played in 61 games in 368 days. Including his 48 wins with Manchester City and Spain, his winning percentage is close to the 'letter mark' of 78.69. His team tied with 13 games remaining. At this point he would have been on the field for exactly 5,000 minutes.

Last Tuesday, Spain drew 3-3 with Brazil in an international friendly. Rodri scored two goals from penalties that day. With this match, the 27-year-old defensive midfielder achieved the feat of going undefeated for a year.

Rodri won six titles each in his incredible journey of being 'unbeatable'. After winning the treble (English Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League) for City, he lifted the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup trophies. Won the UEFA Nations League for Spain, the country's first taste of a trophy in 11 years.

Champions League and Nations League finals were held just 8 days apart. In such a short period of time, he has won two continental titles at the club and international level along with his teammate Aymeric Laporte.

Rodri has set the record of remaining undefeated for the most number of matches if only the club is taken into account excluding the calculation of the last one year. Manchester City beat city rivals Manchester United 3–1 in a Premier League match on March 3.

In doing so, he set a record 59-match unbeaten run for City, a record held by Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho for more than 16 years. The former Portugal centre-back went 58 games unbeaten for Chelsea from November 2006 to February 2008.

Rodri left Atletico Madrid and joined City in 2019. Despite being a defensive midfielder, he has contributed more goals than expected in four of his five seasons in a City shirt so far. His iconic goal in the final against Inter Milan in Istanbul won City the Champions League.