Nico Gonzalez credits Sergio Busquets, Pep Guardiola and Rodri with shaping his game – The Athletic
Nico Gonzalez believes that his unique experience learning from three of the best midfielders in Spanish history is helping him realise his potential at Manchester City.
The 23-year-old soaked up the brilliance of Sergio Busquets as a teenager at Barcelona and is now benefiting from the wisdom of last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and his manager Pep Guardiola.
“When I was young I watched Busquets,” said Gonzalez. “I played with him and learned a lot from him. Maybe the player I’ve learned the most from. I used to love watching his videos.
“Since I arrived (at Man City) we’ve improved a lot. You can see in the last month and a half that everything is going really well. We did really well at the end of last season but now I think we can do great things.”
Gonzalez has been the main deputy for Rodri since signing from Porto in January. At a cost of £50million ($67m), the midfielder has been under scrutiny but Guardiola said he wants him to be his own person and is encouraged by how open he is to learning.
After a strong performance on Saturday against Everton, Guardiola was seen deep in conversation with Gonzalez.
“Yeah they’re intense (chats),” Gonzalez said. “He tries to show you what you have to do better which, at the end, you understand why he is so intense. Then after he explains everything you keep thinking about it and how you improve. Even now I keep thinking about it when I go to the pitch.
Gonzelez in discussion with Guardiola against Huddersfield in September (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
“It’s really nice but hard because you always need to keep improving, he wants the best which is why he is the best. In the last months. I’ve improved a lot and that’s why I play football. I think I’m doing a good job.”
Despite being unavailable due to a hamstring injury, Rodri has travelled to Spain for Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with his former club Villarreal.
He is expected to be the recipient of a homecoming presentation at Estado de la Ceramica but is keen to play an influential role even from the sidelines.
“Every game,” Gonzalez replied when asked if Rodri offers him advice. “At half time last game (2-0 win vs Everton) he gave me some advice about what he saw because he knows a lot. I try to listen and learn a lot.
“He’s one of the captains and that’s a really important role. He tries to, especially with the young players, to advise us and make us understand the way we want to play.”
