In the World Footballer of the Year 2024 election, Rodri triumphed over renowned competitors. In Ultimate Team of EA FC 25, the player is also among the best gold cards, but hardly played. On MeinMMO, we reveal 3 reasons why you should try Rodri.
What kind of player is he? Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, short Rodri, is a Spanish defensive midfielder who is under contract with the current English champions Manchester City.
The Spaniard had another outstanding season with Manchester City, culminating in winning the 2024 European Championship title with his national team in Germany.
In his position in defensive midfield, Rodri has been considered one of the best players for several years, and now he has also celebrated his first World Footballer award.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were nominated for the World Footballer award for the first time in 17 years in 2022 with one exception. In FC 25, you can still play both legends very effectively:
- Cristiano Ronaldo costs only 10,000 coins in EA FC 25: 5 reasons why you should play him now
- In EA FC 25, you can get one of the best players of all time for just 20,000 coins
Almost perfect conditions: 3 reasons to play Rodri
How good is Rodri in FC 25? Even in EA FC 25, Rodri ranks among the best players when only considering the rating. Only teammate Erling Haaland (Manchester City), former and new World Footballer Aitana Bonmatí (FC Barcelona), and the most spectacular summer transfer of 2024 Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) have also achieved a gold card rating of 91 points.
Nevertheless, Rodri is the only player from this group who has never cost more than 75,000 coins in FC 25 and has now settled at a price of 43,000 coins. He brings many reasons that could justify a higher price and make him worth playing.
1st reason: Strong stabilizer for your defense
Rodri’s core competency is defending. He works best as a sweeper in front of your defense. He brings not only his physical attributes (height: 1.91 m) but also strong stats and play styles:
- Defense 87
- Defensive Awareness 92
- Fair Challenges 87
- Physical 85
- Stamina 91
- Aggression 85
- PlayStyle “Kante” for greater strength in physical challenges
- PlayStyle “In the Air” for increased jumping ability and greater physical presence in the air
2nd reason: Ball-secure midfield strategist for building play
When Rodri wins the balls, he knows what to do with them. He can take on the role of a “deep-lying engine” in the ++-variant and is thus a strong playmaker in front of your defense.
He always finds space, is constantly available to receive the ball, and possesses the quality to distribute the balls to his teammates. Moreover, he is almost pressure-resistant and remains calm on the ball even in tense situations.
The following stats and play styles assist him:
- Passing 86
- Short Pass 93
- Long Pass 91
- PlayStyle+ “Tiki-Taka” for more precise (direct) short passes
- PlayStyle “Further Pass” for more precise high and chipped (through) passes
- Dribbling 84
- Calm 94
- Reaction 93
- Ball Control 90
- PlayStyle “Calm Center” for closer ball control and better shielding
3rd reason: Goal-threatening distance shooter
In real life, Rodri often shines with important goals at crucial moments. Particularly his long-range shots often come dangerously.
This quality is also reflected in FC 25 through the following stats and play styles:
- Shooting Power 92
- Long Shots 89
- PlayStyle “Power Shot”: Power shots have a shorter charge time and even more power
Rodri would be more expensive and popular if it weren’t for this weakness
When you look at his attributes, you might wonder why Rodri costs only 43,000 coins despite these advantages. The reason lies in his pace.
Why does hardly anyone play Rodri? With a pace stat of 66, divided into acceleration 65 and sprint speed 66, Rodri clearly does not rank among the fastest players in FC 25. He can somewhat compensate for this disadvantage with his acceleration type.
His acceleration type “Sustained” ensures that while he is a bit slower off the mark, he feels faster at top speed than players with a “controlled” or “explosive” acceleration.
Speed still seems to be one of the decisive criteria for many players. Especially at the start, players in FC 25 Ultimate Team relied on high speed to better utilize the sprint boost. The sprint boost now works a bit differently after a patch.
