Statistics aren't everything, but sometimes they tell you everything.
Untouchable Brilliance
59 games unbeaten in a Manchester City shirt. Pep Guardiola's side have lost five times in all competitions this season, and all five of those defeats have come when the unpressable, unwavering Rodri hasn't been on the field.
It would be facile to draw an immediate comparison with a fellow Spaniard. Sergio Busquets is widely considered to be the best defensive midfielder in the modern era, a lynchpin of Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona side of the late 2000s. Does Rodri already have a claim to that level of midfield stature?
Manchester City's number 16 has already won all there is to win at club level, scoring the winning goal in last season's Champions League final.
Perhaps that's the thing that may even put him ahead of Busquets: Not only is he the ultimate spoiler in terms of stopping opposition counter-attacks, he can also get forward and score himself, often at opportune times of important games, making the difference in the rare tight encounter that Manchester City face.
The most important cog in an exceptionally oiled machine
Let's be clear, Rodri is not the only player that makes Manchester City tick. Phil Foden has had an excellent season, scoring eleven goals and providing seven assists in the Premier League. The return of Kevin De Bruyne has given the squad and fans alike the belief that they can hold off the intense challenge of Arsenal and this weekend's opponents Liverpool to win an unprecedented fourth successive domestic crown.
And yet, nothing flows quite the way it should without the unassuming number 16 getting the ball from the goalkeeper, dropping into centre-back, putting out fires across the pitch and pushing forward as an extra man to support attacks.
Rodri has completed the most successful passes per 90 minutes in Europe's top 5 leagues this season, further testament to his effortless ability to set the tone of games. Manchester City's win rate without him in the team drops by basically 25 percentage points, from 79.6% to a mere 54.5%. Rarely has a single player been so tactically fundamental to a football team.
This weekend, Manchester City travel to face Liverpool at Anfield in what should be a mouth-watering clash of title chasers. As always, the stadium will be a cauldron of noise screaming on the home team and attempting to destablize and intimidate the much-disliked visitors from down the M62.
Games like this call for cool heads, players and leaders that don't shrink when things reach boiling point. You can be sure the calmest man in the postcode will be the unflappable Spaniard in Manchester City's midfield.