Pep Guardiola predicted it back at the start of the 2025-26 season.
"Rodri is an incredible player, but you can't come back like that after six, seven or eight months and be the same as before. Do you know when he'll be that player again? At the World Cup with Spain. That's where we'll see the best Rodri," the then-Manchester City manager said. Pep, as ever, was proven right.
The Spain captain endured a difficult start to the tournament but finished in the best possible fashion, starting all eight of Spain's matches and completing more passes than any other player at the tournament, with a completion rate above 93%, surpassing Xavi's total from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
"Right now we're on cloud nine. It's incredible. I just want to thank God for everything he's given me. This group has been sensational. We're two-time world champions. It's been the toughest tournament in World Cup history and we've beaten Argentina, who have the best player of all time," Rodri told RTVE after lifting the trophy.
"The secret of this squad is that it doesn't matter who the opponent is, we go for the game. You have to be brave in life. We've been brave. We backed ourselves, we stayed true to who we are, and we became champions," he added.
"It means a lot to me that the new generations can see that a player who took the knocks and refused to give up can come back stronger through positivity, hard work and effort. I'm an example of overcoming adversity in that sense. You have to believe in yourself."
Rodri's award adds to the individual honours Spain swept after the final, according to Sport. Ferran Torres was named man of the match for his extra-time winner, emulating Andrés Iniesta 16 years on, while Barcelona teenager Pau Cubarsà took the young player prize and Unai Simón won the Golden Glove after conceding just once in the entire tournament, against Belgium in the quarter-final.
The only individual honour to elude Spain was the Golden Boot, which went to Kylian Mbappé after the France forward's tally moved to ten goals and four assists at the tournament, edging out Lionel Messi.
For Rodri, the Golden Ball represents a remarkable return to the summit of the game after two gruelling years battling back from a serious knee injury, a recovery that saw him named the world's best player back in 2024.
Spain's clean sweep of the individual prizes underlined a dominant campaign in which De la Fuente's side went unbeaten across the tournament, backing up their Euro 2024 triumph with a second World Cup crown 16 years after their first.