On October 13, L'Équipe reported that Fabian Ruiz, with excellent off-the-ball movement awareness and quick passing ability, has become an indispensable backbone of PSG's midfield and the Spanish national team. He excels at using movement to evade opponent pressure, avoiding unnecessary physical contact, and maintaining team balance through coverage, linking play, and occupying space. Despite his technical characteristics not being extraordinary and his on-pitch contributions not always standing out, his consistent performances in crucial matches and exceptional team value make him crucial to the team's success.

Fabian Ruiz has become an indispensable player for PSG and the Spanish national team. He possesses a unique playing style: he can still play an important role on the pitch while avoiding physical confrontation.

If he had not faced Real Sociedad two and a half years ago, would Fabian Ruiz still be a key figure for Champions League holders PSG and Spain, Euro 2024 champions and World Cup 2024 holders?

For the 27-year-old midfielder, the Champions League Round of 16 match against Real Sociedad marked a turning point in his career. In that match, PSG chose to deploy him as a defensive midfielder instead of Ugarte, to provide better technical control during transitions from defense to attack and ball possession. However, in the first leg at Parc des Princes, the team's first-half performance was quite poor, and at halftime, Ruiz swapped positions with Vitinha.

This adjustment did not completely transform the game, but PSG ultimately secured victory and found a new midfield combination.

That evening, Claude Puel, invited to analyze the match for the newspaper, also supported the adjustment: "Vitinha is more agile, better at escaping pressure and carrying the ball out from the back, and knows better how to receive the ball in open body position. Fabian Ruiz is very good at controlling the ball, but he needs more time to turn."

Luis Enrique added: "We had better ball control."

Since that evening, PSG has maintained a midfield setup: Vitinha as the deep playmaker, with two other players taking more central midfield roles, currently Fabian Ruiz and João Neves.

Ruiz has gradually found the position that suits him best. Previously, both at PSG and Napoli, his role at the club was never clear; he had tried almost every midfield position.

Currently, he plays slightly more forward, particularly active on the left-center space. This area suits his unique playing style – he is skilled at avoiding physical confrontation.

Last season, he had the fewest duels per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 among all players, just 3.9. He naturally avoids physical contact. Although this characteristic is less evident in the Champions League, it actually reflects the advantage of this Andalusian midfielder.

His off-the-ball movement is excellent, so he often receives the ball under no opponent pressure. In PSG's 2-2 away draw against Rennes at the start of the season on August 23, when he sent a cross for Ferran Torres, he appeared to have almost abundant time. Throughout the sequence, he seemed to be directing his teammates on how to start their runs, reminiscent of how Toni Kroos plays for Real Madrid.

He also processes the ball quickly, typically passing with a maximum of two touches. When attacking, he relies more on off-the-ball movement than dribbling.

At PSG, Ruiz covers a large area, but he rarely makes high-intensity sprints because his main focus is maintaining team balance, filling gaps, and occupying space left by teammates.

Former French international midfielder Vincent Guérin commented: "He doesn't have particularly outstanding individual ability; what is truly remarkable is his intelligence in positioning himself, both in relation to opponents and teammates. He always appears in positions where he can receive the ball, which is very valuable for the tactical demands a coach wants from his team."

Even highly skilled coaches don't always immediately recognize Ruiz's value. Luis Enrique did not call him up for the 2022 World Cup, while Luis Campos brought him to PSG for 20 million euros a few months earlier. For a club of PSG's caliber, this transfer fee seemed more like the price for a rotation player.

Guérin recalled: "For example, Clément Chantôme was such a player during his youth academy days: wherever the coach placed him, he adapted to his role. These players don't stand out, but they are very effective. What they do is not easy to see, but their statistics are remarkable. With players like this, you know the team's chances of winning are greater. They bring victories to the team, even if people don't always realize it."

However, since 2024, Ruiz has become a regular starter in important matches. His importance was fully demonstrated last May: despite having just recovered from a knee injury, PSG still played him as a starter in the away Champions League semifinal second leg against Bayern Munich. That match ended 1-1, with PSG advancing with an aggregate 5-4 from the first leg.

For Ruiz, the clearest statistics are even directly reflected in match results: whenever this Spanish player is on the pitch, PSG and the Spanish national team are nearly unbeaten.

He has an unbeaten streak of 52 consecutive matches for the Spanish national team; at PSG, he also extended their Ligue 1 unbeaten run to 51 matches, from May 2023 to April 2025.

Ruiz is like a rather contradictory good luck charm. In the league, his duel success rate is slightly above 50%, and in aerial duels, even below 50%. Given his height of 1.89 meters, such statistics should be surprising, as height usually brings advantages to players.

But when contesting headers, his aim may not always be to win possession directly, but rather to ensure the team can compete for the second ball. Additionally, he is not always PSG's primary target player for attacking set pieces.

He can determine matches without standout statistics. Ruiz is the fifth player in the 21st century to win the Champions League and World Cup in the same season, an achievement previously achieved by Roberto Carlos in 2002, Sami Khedira in 2014, Raphaël Varane in 2018, and Julián Álvarez in the 2022-2023 season.

Perhaps he is the clearest embodiment of PSG's team spirit: a true team player.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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