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Pau Cubarsi (22), Rodri (16) and Unai Simon (23) of Spain pose with their awards after the FIFA World Cup 2026 final against Argentina at New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (AFP)
Spain captain Rodri won the Golden Ball award for the best player at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday after leading his team to a 1-0 victory against Argentina.
The 30-year-old Manchester City midfielder, who won the Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player in 2024, said the team were “a bit shocked right now”.
Rodri ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament while playing for City against Arsenal in September 2024, making his competitive return the following May.
“Even myself I cannot express with words,” he said. “I think now we’re like in a cloud.
“It’s been a very tough time. I just want the new generations to see my example as an opportunity — when you go down you can rise again.
“This is my philosophy my entire life. Of course, sometimes things go well, things they go wrong.
“But always the positivity I said to the lads before the game — we have to go for the game.
“We need to face them. We have to look to the eyes and see it. We won this game and then life gives you the World Cup or not.
“But we were brave and I was brave in that moment.”
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