How West Ham target Patrick Berg once shut down Ballon d'Or winner Rodri

West Ham United target Patrick Berg may have starred at the World Cup, but he put himself in the shop window long before.

The Norwegian has been linked with the Hammers, who have yet to truly begin their transfer business.

Fans will be growing impatient at the lack of incomings as instant promotion back to the top flight is on their mind.

Nuno Espirito Santo will also be hoping a replacement for Mateus Fernandes comes through the door sooner or later.

Berg has emerged as a player on the Irons' shortlist and there may be hope he could have an immediate impact.

The 28-year-old has already put on one of his better performances in his career against one of the best team's in the world.

Why West Ham will have no adaptation concerns for Patrick Berg

Swapping Norwegian football for the Championship could come with significant adaptation issues.

But Berg, who is linked with West Ham, may already have put those into the rear view earlier in 2026.

When Bodo/Glimt faced Manchester City in the Champions League back in January 2026, Berg completely dominated the midfield against Rodri.

The Ballon d'Or winner had a night to forget as he was sent off after just 62 minutes for picking up two yellow cards.

As per FotMob, Berg made six tackles, won seven out of 10 ground duels, as well as coming in second for most distance covered on the pitch.

Only Man City's Rico Lewis (12.5 km), who was deployed in central midfield, covered more ground than Berg's 12.4 km, who also completed seven ball recoveries.

Meanwhile, before his sending off, Rodri had won just two out of his eight attempted duels against the Bodo/Glimt midfield.

On this occassion, Berg had clearly got the better of his opponent.

Putting up that level of performance against one of the best teams in the Premier League certainly shows he should have no issues with the style in England.

How Pep Guardiola was left impressed by Berg and Bodo/Glimt

In the end, that game would end in a 3-1 win for the Norwegian outfit and former Man City manager Pep Guardiola was left amazed how good they were at closing down his players.

After the loss he said, via Reuters: "They close (down) incredibly inside, you have to go outside and outside, and we don't have players to make a one against one, or make a movement in behind, and that's why we struggled a little bit."

With Berg's number of tackles and the distance he covered against the Spaniard's side, he certainly played a key role in the praise they ultimately got.

Now, he could become a hero at West Ham.