Rodri, who began his playing career at Villarreal, also spent some time at Atlético Madrid. Since 2019, he has been with City.
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Manchester City is currently undergoing a period of transformation. Pep Guardiola managed City for ten years. Playing without him will not be easy. But now, the entire City squad is on the verge of needing to be changed.
From the team that won three titles in the 2022–2023 season, four key players have already left: Manuel Akanji, Nathan Aké, Bernardo Silva, and John Stones. In the meantime, City has signed Elite Anderson and Jeremy Mong as new players.
This process of change within City is unlikely to stop here. Rodri, a member of Spain’s World Cup-winning team, will undergo surgery on Monday. He has only one year left on his contract with City. As such, there is uncertainty regarding Rodri’s future as well.
Perhaps City is currently under pressure to persuade him to stay. It is still unclear how long this 30-year-old midfielder will spend off the field due to injury. In his first media appearance as the new coach, Enzo Maresca said he wants to keep Rodri in the team. Meanwhile, there are also reports that Real Madrid is interested in signing him.
The big question for City is: what will the team’s midfield look like without these players? Or, instead of chasing the answer to this question, do they, like Maresca, simply want to keep him in the team? Since his return from injury last year, there has been a question about him: will this player’s performance once again be at the level of a Ballon d’Or winner? Or is this the peak of his playing career?
Guardiola’s view on this was that Rodri’s performance would be outstanding at the World Cup, and that his performance would remain the same in the following season. This prediction proved correct: under Rodri’s leadership, Spain not only won the World Cup, but he himself was named the tournament’s best player, winning the Golden Ball award. For now, Maresca has simply said that Rodri is the kind of player everyone wants to have in their team.
He says, “After the upcoming surgery, he will need a few days of rest. He will also need time to fully recover from that injury. Only after that will he take to the field for us.” This means that, for now, City wants to keep this player in the team. But the matter does not end there; what does the player himself want—does he want to stay at City, or open the door to a possible move to Real?
The player has not spoken explicitly about this. But if Spanish media are to be believed, he wants to face a new challenge, which could mean a new club. Having started his career at Villarreal, Rodri also spent some time at Atlético Madrid. Since 2019, he has been at City. He is now 30 years old, so the current situation is a tense time for City regarding his future.
