At his best, Rodri has looked less like a destroyer and more like a traffic controller. He protects space, but he also decides tempo, offers constant passing angles and keeps attacking teams connected.
That is why his case resonates in this kind of debate:
The top sides no longer want a specialist who only destroys. They want a player who can start the next move almost as soon as he ends the last one.
That does not diminish Keane or Vieira. Their authority shaped great sides and great eras.
Each of them defined winning in a different tactical climate. That is what makes cross-era rankings so difficult.
The deeper point is not just who is first. It is why the shortlist looks the way it does. Players such as Claude Makelele, Michael Carrick, Xabi Alonso and Yaya Toure all show different versions of the same position: shield, conductor, launcher, controller.
That conversation will keep moving. As the new season unfolds, the next storyline is obvious: which midfielder most clearly sets the league’s tempo now, and whether anyone can challenge Rodri’s grip on that title.