Luis de la Fuente Defends Rodri: A Strong Response to Criticism

Luis de la Fuente didn’t just defend Rodri. He bristled.

Three days after Spain’s flat, goalless start to the 2026 World Cup against Cape Verde, the national coach has gone on the offensive over suggestions that the Manchester City midfielder is slowing the team down and suffocating their transitions.

The criticism has bubbled since that 0-0 in their opener, with Spain struggling to break down organised opposition and Rodri inevitably dragged into the debate over the team’s tempo and verticality. For some, his metronomic control is now being painted as a brake rather than a brain.

De la Fuente isn’t having any of it.

“Highly insulting” to question Rodri

Speaking to El Partidazo de Cope, the Spain boss made it clear he finds the narrative not just wrong, but disrespectful.

“Good heavens, please. For you to say things like this,” he snapped when the topic was raised. “Some people can say one thing or another, but in any case, I find it highly insulting to say that about the best player in the world.”

No ambiguity. No softening of the message.

For De la Fuente, Rodri is non‑negotiable. The coach doubled down, not only rejecting the idea that the midfielder is a problem, but elevating him above his peers in the position.

“Rodrigo is the best player in the world, and even at 50% he's much better than most midfielders in the world. Even at 50%,” he insisted. “And with us, he's a player of exceptional importance, with fantastic clarity and vision, balance. Rodrigo is a guiding light for us.”

The word choice matters. “Guiding light.” De la Fuente is not just defending a starter; he is drawing a line around the player he sees as the reference point of his entire structure.

A broader grievance: Spanish stars under the microscope

Once Rodri’s name came up, De la Fuente widened the lens. This, in his eyes, is not only about one midfielder after one frustrating night. It is about how Spanish players are treated compared to other global stars.

He questioned whether the same type of accusations would be thrown so casually at other elite names in world football.

“Would they dare say that about other players who are also considered among the best in the world? Would they dare? I don't think so,” he said. “But since they're Spanish, and you can say things about our players that you don't say about others.”

The implication is clear: Spain’s own are being held to a harsher, almost unfair standard, with criticism that would be unthinkable if the shirt colour or passport changed.

For a coach under pressure after a stuttering World Cup start, it would have been easy to deflect, to hint at tactical tweaks, to quietly accept that Rodri might need to speed things up. Instead, De la Fuente chose confrontation with the narrative, not compromise with it.

Spain still need goals. They still need points. But in the middle of the storm, their manager has made one thing crystal clear: he will not let the World Cup campaign be built on doubts about the player he considers “the best in the world.”