Six days after lifting the World Cup and being named its best player, Rodri was talking about surgery again.
Moments after Spain’s 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina, he could barely process it. Speaking to reporters after the trophy presentation, he said: “We’re a bit shocked right now, even myself. I cannot express with words. I think now we’re like in a cloud but, for me, it’s been a very tough time.”
Then came a line that said more than any statistic could: “I want to thank myself, to be honest, in those moments.”
The road back was already long
Those moments were real. Rodri ruptured his ACL in September 2024, weeks before he was awarded the Ballon d’Or — a piece of timing that turned football’s biggest individual honour into a footnote against months of rehab.
He didn’t return to full fitness until the following May, and Guardiola later admitted City had brought him back before he was ready.
“I just want the new generations to see my example as an opportunity,” Rodri said. “When you go down, you can rise again.”
Within a week, he was going down again. Not through a tackle this time, but a back issue picked up during Spain’s run to the title, one that requires surgery.
Enzo Maresca confirmed the operation for Monday in his first press conference as City manager, saying Rodri “needs a vacation” afterwards, with rest and recovery to follow before any firm return date.
Real Madrid have since denied any approach for the midfielder amid the uncertainty, with his City contract now entering its final year.
None of that changes what he’s just done. Rodri arrived in North America as City’s most significant absentee and left it the tournament’s outstanding player, captaining his country to the trophy less than 14 months after knee reconstruction.
But the recent pattern is hard to ignore — a body that keeps demanding recovery just as it delivers the biggest moments.
Maresca inherits a player who has shown, repeatedly, that he can come back from serious setbacks. He also inherits one who, by his own account, has been asked to do that more than most. And one who is also in the sights of Real Madrid.
