Spanish media tear Rodri to shreds for what he did in Spain's shock draw vs Cape Verde

Manchester City star Rodri was part of the Spain team that suffered a shock start to their 2026 World Cup as they drew 0-0 with Cape Verde.

The current European Championship holders could not find a way through the African side, who are ranked 67th in the world, and in what turned out to be a shock result.

Rodri, who was once the Ballon D’Or holder, failed to make a difference on the pitch despite starting the match.

As a result, the Spanish media were quick to slam the Man City star as the nation suffered one of the World Cup’s greatest shocks.

Rodri was eventually taken off by Luis de la Fuente late on after an ineffective match.

The 29-year-old had been a regular for the Premier League side this season and won both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

Despite being one of the best midfielders in the world, Rodri could help his nation claim all three points against Cape Verde.

The Island nation off the coast of West Africa held despite everything the Spanish threw at them, with 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha pulling off some fabulous saves throughout.

However, for the Spanish, the result was an embarrassment, especially given the fact that they are one of the favourites for the tournament.

As a result, the media did not hold back in their criticism, and the outlet Defensa Central was particularly critical of Rodri, giving him the joint-lowest rating at five.

Their review read: “The Manchester City midfielder was far from his best. He ended up being substituted in the final stages of the match.”

According to Fotmob on 15 June, Rodri was far from the worst player on the pitch despite the shock draw.

Against Cape Verde, he completed 91 per cent of his passes, created three chances, had an xA of 0.44 and made two tackles.

However, he also failed to complete a single cross, saw all of his shots fly off target and was even dispossessed once.

Against a nation like Cape Verde, Rodri should have been able to guide the Spanish to a simple victory to kickstart their tournament.

Now, this result will cause alarm bells throughout the Iberian nation as their World Cup hopes took a hit.