Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes that Rodri is "the best midfielder in the world at the moment", but he is happy that Rodri's performance does not always dominate the headlines.
The Spain international was the savior of title-chasing Manchester City on Saturday and scored a crucial equaliser against Chelsea to a 1-1 draw that could prove to be an important point this season.
It's been more than 12 months since the 27-year-old last played – against Tottenham on 5 February last year – and City haven't lost.
However, apart from his winning goal in the Champions League final and a dramatic equaliser this weekend, he rarely steals the limelight from the likes of Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne.
Guardiola admits that this is exactly what he wants.
The City manager said: "I would say it would be nice if the midfielders didn't get the same appreciation as a striker or a number 10. When the midfielder gets a lot of praise, it's not good.
The midfielders have to play aggressively, both for him and for the team, so that the team can play well. That's the role of the midfielder. All the highlights should belong to the players who scored goals and assists up front.
But Rodri always has the ability to score goals at crucial moments, so he's an incredible player. He's the best midfielder in the world at the moment because he's capable of anything.
What an amazing signing. It is difficult to understand how we could have achieved such achievements in recent years without him. ”
Saturday's result left Manchester City unbeaten in the Premier League for nine games, but losing two points left the defending champions third and four points behind the top of the table.
They will play a make-up game against Brentford on Tuesday.
Defender Kyle Walker is looking forward to what appears to be a three-way battle for the title.
The England right-back said: "I think we're facing two very, very strong teams, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Liverpool have the momentum and obviously with the coach gone, they may now have some enthusiasm to get him out on a high note.
But we wanted to do something that no one had ever done before, which was to win four times in a row, so we had our own motivation.
Now it's time for the best team to win after 38 tough games at the end of the season, but I'm sure we'll fight on all fronts as usual. ”