Rodri: Spain can still improve as World Cup goes on

Mikel Merino scored the only goal for La Roja in Dallas to see Spain into the quarter-finals and mark the end of the road for a Portugal squad including Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes. The defending European champions are yet to concede a goal in the tournament so far, having played five games to reach this point. Our man Rodri, who won Best Player at Euro 2024 before lifting the Ballon d’Or a few months later, has been captain throughout the run and was named Player of the Match in this one. In fact, no-one has completed more passes than Rodri, with our No.16 finding a team-mate 526 times. The closest challenger to that title is Spain defender Pau Cubarsi, who is on 441 passes. And while Rodri is pleased to see off Spain’s Iberian rivals, he’s looking for more from his team when they face Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday. “There’s a lot of room for improvement,” he began. “Now we have to rest and keep improving. We’re very similar teams, we want the ball, and we want to have personality. “It’s about small details, I’ve said it before. The first chance we had in the whole game [for Merino’s goal] came when we got inside...it’s something to learn from for the next games, we have to be sharper, because we can do a lot of damage. “In football nowadays, in the last third you have to speed things up. “When we broke their lines, we were maybe taking an extra touch. You have to turn quickly and find the players in attack. That’s how the goal came.” However, Rodri was well aware that Spain’s outstanding defensive record is due to the control and work ethic of the whole team, in and out of possession. “We were able to read the flow of the game at all times,” he said. “We wore them down, and we found our opening. “I think they played a very complete game in midfield, and I think we did too. “Pedri has been the same as always, sensational, helping me clear everything he could, even though he might not be that kind of player, but he’s been pressing hard to win the ball back; he’s been outstanding, and the guys who came on, Mikel, Fabian [Ruiz] were impressive.”