Drama surrounding City star Rodri: First he threatened to strike, then his cruciate ligament apparently tore

Drama surrounding City star Rodri
First he threatened to strike, then his cruciate ligament apparently tore

23.09.2024, 20:20

Rodri recently warned of the high workload placed on football professionals. Now the Spanish international from Manchester City has apparently suffered a serious injury and is in danger of being out for a long time. This would be a bitter setback for Pep Guardiola's team.

The English football champions Manchester City will probably have to do without their midfield strategy player Rodri for a long time. The 28-year-old is said to have injured the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee in the top match against Arsenal FC (2:2) at the weekend, according to ESPN and the Spanish sports daily “Marca”. Rodri had only played his second game of the current Premier League season against the Gunners. The Spaniard had already missed the start of the new season with a thigh injury.

Rodri, who was voted the best player of the tournament when the Spanish national team won the European Championship in the summer, had complained just last week about the excessive workload in football and even threatened to go on strike. “I think we're close to that,” the European champion stressed at the press conference before City's Champions League opener against Inter Milan (0:0): “If it continues like this, we have no other choice. We are the players who are suffering from the schedule.

“It’s five to twelve”

Rodri's statements had a big international impact. “When players start talking about strikes, you know it's five minutes to midnight,” said Dortmund coach Nuri Şahin last Friday, referring to his prominent colleagues Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola: “Jürgen and Pep have been complaining about it for years,” and nothing has changed. I have the feeling that the more we talk about it, the more we play.”

When he threatened to strike, Rodri had calculated that the new Champions League format and the reformed Club World Cup would mean “70 or 80 games”. Guardiola also sided with his protégé a short time later. He warned that a strike was not out of the question. “Players all over the world are starting to talk about it, we'll see,” he said. “40 to 50 games” was the maximum for him, Rodri explained, and beyond that “the level drops”. Bayern coach Kompany could only agree with him. “Even as a player, I demanded that a maximum number of games a player could play be set,” said the Belgian.

A long-term absence of Rodri would be a bitter setback for team manager Pep Guardiola's team. The team is aiming for a fifth Premier League championship in a row, and City will also win the Champions League trophy again after 2023.