Spain midfielder Rodri says winning the World Cup would represent the greatest achievement of his career as the European champions prepare for the challenge of FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Manchester City star, who has already collected major honours at club and international level, said lifting football’s biggest trophy would eclipse everything else he has achieved in the game.
“It’d be the icing on the cake of a wonderful career in which I’ve been fortunate enough to lift so many trophies,” Rodri told FIFA in an interview ahead of the tournament.
“Winning the World Cup is the pinnacle; nothing could top it. It’d be unbelievable and a dream come true, and I think it’s the highlight of any player’s career.”
Spain head into the World Cup among the favourites after winning the UEFA Nations League and the European Championship under coach Luis de la Fuente.
Rodri said the team’s greatest strength lies in its humility and collective spirit despite its growing reputation as one of world football’s elite sides.
“As I always say, I think this side run as if we were minnows and play like heavyweights,” he said.
“I believe that’s the identity that Luis has instilled in us since he came in: being humble, making sure we cover more ground than our opponents, understanding just how tough things are and always being ready for any eventuality.”
The 29-year-old stressed that Spain’s unity has been the key to their recent success.
“I believe the secret to the success of this squad has been putting the collective ahead of the individual,” Rodri said.
“No one player is bigger than anyone else. We all pull in the same direction.”
Spain were not widely tipped to win Euro 2024 but emerged as champions, and Rodri insisted labels such as “favourites” mean little in major tournaments.
“I don’t reckon anyone had us down as favourites before the European Championship, and we went and won it,” he said.
“I think the most in-form team are the one that ends up coming out on top in these tournaments.”
Rodri warned that consistency and composure are vital in a competition where one poor performance can end a team’s campaign.
“You have to maintain your resolve and consistency throughout the tournament and, above all, you have to realise that all it takes is one bad day at the office to send you home,” he said.
The midfielder also reflected on Spain’s historic 2010 World Cup triumph, recalling how he watched Andres Iniesta’s winning goal while attending a summer camp in the United States as a teenager.
“I was 14 years old and was attending a camp to learn English in Connecticut,” Rodri said.
“When Iniesta scored, I got up and just started running all over the place. Nobody understood why I was so happy and shouting at the top of my voice.”
Rodri described the 2010 Spain side as “the greatest generation of all time” after they won two European Championships and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012.
Still, he believes the current squad can create its own legacy.
“We’ve won the Nations League and a European Championship, and we’re about to face the biggest challenge of all, which is to win a World Cup,” he said.
“I think this group of players is ready to take that step.”
Rodri added that if Spain were to lift the trophy again, the current generation would secure a special place in football history.
“If we manage to win this World Cup, then we’d obviously etch our names into a special place in the history books,” he said.
Asked how he hopes this Spain side will be remembered, Rodri pointed to both competitiveness and entertainment.
“I think we’ll be remembered as a brave team with a distinctly competitive DNA who entertained the fans,” he said.
