Rodri becomes 7th player to ‘complete’ football
After winning the World Cup, the Spaniard joins a privileged list of just seven players.
On July 19, 2026, Spain defeated a resilient Argentina to sew a second star onto its shirt. Like the 2010 world champions, this generation boasts a midfield the envy of every other national team. The difference is that the player who anchors the side and keeps every piece in balance operates at the base of midfield: Rodrigo Hernández.
For that reason, Rodri finished the tournament as the World Cup’s best player, adding the Golden Ball to a collection that already included the World Cup, European Championship, Ballon d’Or and Champions League. It is a quartet of honours reserved for a privileged few. Rodri is only the seventh player in history to complete it.
The 30-year-old from Madrid arrived in the United States having conquered almost everything. He had won the Champions League with Manchester City in 2023, earning Player of the Match in the final, lifted the European Championship with Spain while being named the tournament’s best player, and claimed the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Only one prize remained: the World Cup.
Rodri completed the collection in emphatic fashion. As well as lifting the trophy beneath the New York sky, he was awarded the World Cup Golden Ball, becoming the first Spanish player to receive the honour. He also became just the seventh footballer to complete this exclusive set of achievements, the only Spaniard and the only defensive midfielder on the list.
The last player to join this select group was Lionel Messi, who completed the collection by winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It was the final piece of the puzzle, having already won multiple Champions League titles, Ballon d’Ors and the Copa América, South America’s equivalent of the European Championship.
Before him, Brazilians Rivaldo and Ronaldinho had achieved the same feat. Both were world champions in 2002 and among Europe’s brightest stars during the early years of the 21st century.
Earlier still came Gerd Müller and Franz Beckenbauer, who helped establish this legendary club. The German icons were instrumental in West Germany’s 1974 World Cup triumph and dominated European football with Bayern Munich.
Zinedine Zidane completed the list before the modern era. The French legend, regarded as one of the game’s most elegant players, won the Ballon d’Or and the World Cup in 1998, lifted the European Championship in 2000 and crowned his club career by winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2002.
The difficulty of collecting all four honours explains why this remains one of football’s most exclusive clubs. Only seven players in history have managed it. Many World Cup winners never claimed the Ballon d’Or. Others lifted football’s greatest individual prize but never won the Champions League. Some conquered Europe with their clubs but fell short on the international stage, while others collected almost every major honour without ever getting their hands on the World Cup.
Rodri’s place on that list is therefore of enormous historical significance. He was already considered one of the defining midfielders of his generation. Now, after leading Spain to World Cup glory, he joins names such as Zidane, Beckenbauer and Messi, strengthening his claim to be remembered as one of the greatest midfielders the game has ever seen.
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