Former Premier League defender Bacary Sagna has named Manchester City star Rodri as the best player in the league ahead of Erling Haaland. The former Arsenal full-back praised the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner for his exceptional positional discipline and intelligence.
The Premier League has always been blessed with some of the best players in world football. Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are currently widely considered among the best players in the league.
However, Bacary Sagna has named Rodri as the best player in the English top flight at the moment. The former Manchester City full-back said, as quoted by TBR Football:
“It’s too difficult. Rodri, maybe. Okay, Rodri. If I had to choose a player, I would say Rodri. Why? Because [he] there is no need to add much.”
He added:
“He just respects the game. Never loses his position. Always in the right place. He’s not fast, but he manages to outplay players using his body perfectly, he’s intelligent.”
Rodri is one of seven players in the history of the English Premier League to have won the Ballon d’Or. In the Premier League era, only Michael Owen and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the most prestigious individual award in world football.
The Spanish midfielder missed almost all of last season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury which completely derailed Manchester City’s season. He is finally returning to fitness this season and Pep Guardiola’s side look much improved on the pitch.
Rodri joined the Cityzens in 2019 and has made 272 appearances for the club, scoring 26 times while producing 32 assists. He has won 11 trophies during his time at the Etihad, including the treble in 2022-23.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola opens up on Premier League title race
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has opened up on the Premier League title race. He insisted Arsenal and Liverpool were both in the title race and accused pundits of making premature predictions.
Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League table after eight games, with 19 points. The Cityzens are just three points behind Mikel Arteta’s side while Liverpool are third with 15 points.
Despite Liverpool’s struggles of late, Pep Guardiola has insisted Liverpool are in the title race. He said, via Metro:
“Well, in the first two games, three games, yeah, for sure, we [City] came out. And Liverpool are already done, and now it looks like Liverpool are done. And I will tell you that they will come back. I have said it several times, I know all the experts, all the specialists or former players, they know everything that will happen after five matches, I am not capable of doing that.
He added:
“So I’m still waiting 10, 15 games to find out exactly what happens. But I think obviously Liverpool and Arsenal are there, someone else will be there, hopefully we can be there.”
Manchester City face Aston Villa on Sunday October 26 and will be looking to win their fourth consecutive league match.
Edited by Snehanjan Banerjee
