Fabián Ruiz has been at Paris Saint Germain for over 3 seasons, and his contributions to the team could be considered to be overlooked. Despite not possessing the flamboyance or footballing flashiness of some of his midfield colleagues at the club, his talents and apt capabilities within the game have been present in his side’s performances at the ongoing club world cup.
His Career So Far
Born and raised in the Seville region, Ruiz’ footballing education was also based in his native land at Real Betis. After years of reserve football and a loan to Elche, Ruiz’ breakout campaign came in the 2017/18 season. The midfielder became a starter under the managerial reign of Quique Setién. He contributed greatly to the success of that side, who qualified for the Europa League after finishing 6th. Ruiz’ soon traded this success for a move to Napoli.
In his four seasons at the Italian giants, Ruiz cemented his role as a technically capable press-resistant midfielder. Much like his contemporary at Lazio, Luis Alberto, Fabián Ruiz helped to dictate play within the game for Napoli. In much the same way, Ruiz has achieved this at PSG, however with slightly more sparse game time given to him in his first seasons in France.
Consistent Performing
In PSG’s opening 4-0 win against Atletico, Ruiz was pivotal in dictating the control that PSG had throughout the entirety of the game. One of Ruiz’ greatest traits has been accuracy in passing. This game presented this as he held a 95% passing accuracy. Across the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season, Ruiz maintained a similarly high passing accuracy of 91% over the whole season. It’s likely how his accurate passing led to PSG holding a whopping 83% of the possession in the first half of that match. This trait has only been developed with age. Throughout the season, Ruiz’ key pass metrics have almost doubled from his previous output in the past seasons at PSG.
The Spaniard’s consistency and means of playing to his strengths have more than directly led to the shining performances of his teammates throughout the last season and at the Club World Cup. His positioning on the field and assurance over midfield vacuums has allowed for the more attacking outputs of Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, both of whom have received plaudits in their performances for PSG in the 24/25 season. It’s no wonder how Ruiz’ manager Luis Enrique labelled the 29-year-old as a “complete midfielder”.
PSG looks to go deeper into the Club World Cup, and establish their new history as a true global force in world football. You might see the great shining talents of Dembele or other young attacking players stealing the headlines. But central to their success are the consistent performances from players such as Ruiz. With a couple more years left on his current PSG contract, it’s more than likely that we will continue to see Fabián at the heart of PSG’s and Spain’s midfield.
