Rodri vs Martin Zobimendi – The battle for a place in Spain

Manchester City were all over Arsenal early in the second half on Sunday when Rodri spread his arms out demanding the ball on the edge of the area.

Rayan Sharqi spotted him immediately and took him out.

Rhodri took control and released her immediately.

The low shot seemed to be heading towards the lower right corner of Kepa’s goal, but Martin Zobimendi got in the way and blocked his fellow Spaniard’s shot.

In the end, Rodri came out on top as City won 2-0 at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup.

But the battle between the midfielders is not over yet. It resumed on Monday when they both went to the Spanish national team camp in Madrid before the friendly matches against Serbia and Egypt.

Not only are they still fighting for the Premier League title, but also for a starting place with the European champions.

This is one of the main discussions in Spain ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

Can Rodri and Zobimendi play together?

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has had to answer this question so often over the past few months that he has now reached a point where he simply expects it in interviews.

“After all the setbacks he went through, Rodrygo has returned to a high level. I have said before that he is the best in the world, but also on the same occasions we are very lucky,” de la Fuente told TVE.

“After all, in this position, role No. 6, we have the two best players in the world: Rodrigo and Martin. [Zubimendi].

“So I’ll ask the question you’re probably asking: Can they play together? Of course they can play together.”

But the 64-year-old president has yet to put that into practice.

He did do it once, but that was purely circumstantial. It happened in the Euro 2024 semi-final against France, when Zobimendi came on as a substitute in the 93rd minute.

Most of the time they spent at Las Rozas headquarters in Madrid, it was one thing or the other.

Rodri has long been an indispensable player, with a say in the dressing room on how the team plays, but his last appearance was in September 2024 against Switzerland.

In his absence, Zobimendi has made such an impact that what once seemed unquestionable no longer holds true: there is life without the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.

The first clues of what comes next could arrive on Friday when Spain take on Serbia at Villarreal.