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Tag: Rodri

  • Guardiola rules out  Rodri  for Villarreal, Villa games

    Guardiola rules out  Rodri  for Villarreal, Villa games

    Manchester City will be without midfielder Rodri for matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa this week as the Spanish midfielder continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said

    The 29-year-old, who missed most of last season recovering from a major knee injury, limped off in the first half of City’s 1-0 win at Brentford on October 5 before withdrawing from the Spain squad for their World Cup qualifiers.

    He also missed City’s 2-0 home win over Everton on Saturday.

    “I don’t think so for Villarreal or Aston Villa,” Guardiola told British media. “It’s not long, but it’s muscular and you have to be careful.

    Read Also: Manchester City’s Rodri, Haaland return to  training

    “We’ve tried so many times, we’ve tried to not take a risk, but we have not been able to (manage) that. So we will see.”

    City travel to Rodri’s former club Villarreal on Tuesday in the Champions League before facing Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

    Guardiola’s side are second in the league on 16 points after eight matches, three points behind leaders Arsenal.

  • Rodri has had injury setback, says Guardiola

    Rodri has had injury setback, says Guardiola

    Manchester City midfielder Rodri has suffered an injury setback and is unlikely to be “really fit” until after the September international break, says manager Pep Guardiola.

    The Spain international spent most of the 2024-25 season sidelined as a result of suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury last September.

    The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner returned to action when he came on as a late substitute in City’s penultimate Premier League game of last season against Bournemouth.

    The 29-year-old was also part of Guardiola’s squad at the Club World Cup in the United States during in the summer when City went out at the last-16 stage to Al-Hilal.

    Rodri came on as a second-half substitute against the Saudi Arabian side but went off early in extra time with what is thought to have been a groin issue.

    Read Also: Manchester City’s Rodri, Haaland return to  training

    “Rodri is getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal,” said Guardiola.

    “He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break, he will be really fit.”

    City open their Premier League campaign at Wolves on 16 August and then play Tottenham and Brighton before the September internationals.

    “Hopefully in these games, he can play some minutes, but what is important is that he doesn’t have pain because we don’t want Rodri coming back injured. We will try desperately to avoid that,” Guardiola added.

    “He has been training the last two sessions with us and that’s good.”

    BBC

  • Manchester City’s Rodri, Haaland return to  training

    Manchester City’s Rodri, Haaland return to  training

    Manchester City midfielder Rodri has returned to training for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury in September, according to  manager Pep Guardiola.

    The Spain international’s absence following surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament has been cited as a major reason City’s quest for a fifth straight Premier League title crumbled.

    While the 28-year-old Ballon d’Or winner’s recovery has probably come too late for this campaign, the news of his return to the grass is a welcome boost for City.

    Guardiola also said their Norway striker Erling Haaland is back in training, having not played since March 30 because of an ankle injury, although he is unlikely to feature in Friday’s home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

    Rodri will now be guided by the club’s medical staff before a return date is set, Guardiola said.

    “The moment the physio and doctor say that Rodri can start to play minutes he will start to play minutes. But the doctors have to tell me,” Guardiola said. “It was a difficult injury. It was seven months to eleven months more or less the doctors said.

    “He feels really good, every day he’s making sessions and sessions but we have to make the step to avoid making a step backwards and being injured again.”

    Read Also: NFF mourns demise of former FIFA referee Momoh

    Haaland, 24, injured his ankle in the 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth in March and has missed five league games and Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final win over Nottingham Forest.

    City are fourth in the Premier League with 61 points from 34 games in a battle with six clubs for Champions League qualification, with the top five all assured of entry.

    Wolves, however, are in sensational form and arrive at The Etihad Stadium today  on the back of six successive wins.

    “I’m not surprised (by Wolves’ form), Guardiola said. “In the last few years I think they have always had really good players and now they’ve had an incredible run.

    “It’s quite similar when Newcastle came a month ago and Aston Villa came. It’s another final for us. We have four finals and now we go for the first one.”

  • Rodri targets Man City return before end of season

    Rodri targets Man City return before end of season

    Manchester City midfielder Rodri hopes to return to action before the end of the season.

    Rodri ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September, an injury boss Pep Guardiola said would keep him out for the rest of the season.

    City have failed to win any of their past six games in all competitions in Rodri’s absence, and the Spain international hopes to help his team-mates before the season is over.

    “My target is to come back this season. I don’t give up on this season, [but] I don’t want to make any mistakes. My target is six or seven months,” Rodri told The Rest Is Football podcast.

    Read Also: UCL: Guardiola upbeat despite Man City’s slump

    “I am doing much better than I thought. I am enjoying the rest, if it possible to say it that way.

    “My feeling was, not like a crack, the knee was stable. I was confident it wasn’t too bad. But I have a positive mentality now and that’s it.

    “The first month and a half was bad in terms of pain, I couldn’t walk, but now it is easier.”

    The Premier League season finishes on 25 May, eight days after the FA Cup final on 17 May.

    The domestic campaign is followed by the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, held in the United States, which features City and runs from 15 June until the final on 13 July.

  • 13 things to know about 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri

    13 things to know about 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri

    Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri on Monday claimed the prestigious 2024 Ballon d’Or, finishing ahead of Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior, Dani Carvajal and Jude Bellingham in a historic win.

    After receiving his award, the Spanish international reflected on the uncertain path that led him to football’s highest individual honour.

    In an acceptance speech on Monday at the ceremony in Paris, France, Rodri revealed a pivotal moment from his early career.

    He said: “One day I told my father: stop, I leave football, my dream is over. But he told me… no, keep going, let’s try until the end.”

    According to him, that persistence has been rewarded with football’s highest individual accolade.

    “Today I’m here and I’m proud; I have to say thanks,” Rodri added.

    Here are things to know about 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri

    1. He was named Rodrigo Hernández Cascante at birth but prefers to be called Rodri.

    2. Rodri was born on June 22, 1996 in Madrid.

    Read Also: Rodri crowned 2024  Ballon D’Or winner

    3. He is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Spain national team.

    4. Known for his passing, playmaking and physical attributes, he is currently the best player in the world.

    5. He joined Atlético Madrid’s youth setup in 2007 aged 11, from CF Rayo Majadahonda.

    6. After stints with Villarreal and Atlético Madrid in La Liga, Rodri joined Premier League club Manchester City in 2019.

    7. He helped Manchester City win four consecutive league titles in the 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24 seasons.

    8. In the 2022–23 season, he was part of the team which claimed a historic continental treble. This treble included City’s first UEFA Champions League title, with Rodri scoring the only goal in the final, and being named the tournament’s Player of the Season.

    9. Rodri is a Spain international and former youth international.

    10. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2018 and represented his country at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2024.

    11. He won the UEFA Nations League in 2023, being named the best player of the finals tournament, and was an integral part in Spain’s victory at Euro 2024, for which he was named Player of the Tournament.

    12. Rodri has won several individual awards, most notably the 2024 Ballon d’Or.  

    13. He became the second male Spanish player in history to achieve this feat after Luis Suárez, who did so in 1960. 

  • Rodri crowned 2024  Ballon D’Or winner

    Rodri crowned 2024  Ballon D’Or winner

    Vinicius Jr , Madrid snub ceremony

    Rodri  has been crowned the best men’s footballer on the planet, surprisingly winning the vote ahead of the bookmakers’ favourite, Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.

    The Manchester City midfielder was in imperious form last season, helping his club lift the Premier League title yet again, while also playing a starring role for champions Spain at the UEFA European Championship in the summer.

    He is the first Spaniard to win the Ballon d’Or since Luis Suarez in 1960, the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, and the first midfielder since Luka Modric in 2018.

    Rodri arrived at the ceremony on crutches, having ruptured his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) last month in the early stages of a draw with Arsenal – an injury which has ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

    The bookmakers’ favourite to win the Ballon d’Or over recent weeks was Vinicius Junior, with the Brazilian having fired Los Blancos to a Champions League and La Liga double.

    Vinicius scored 24 goals and assisted 11 more across all competitions, including a brace in the Champions League semi-final at Bayern Munich and one in the final win over Borussia Dortmund.

    It was not enough, though, with Vinicius and the rest of the Madrid squad – including fellow Ballon d’Or contender Jude Bellingham – not travelling to Paris after learning of their fate in advance.

    Monday evening’s ceremony in Paris crowned the best men’s player on the planet based on performances in the 2023/24 campaign, which culminated with the international summer tournaments: the European Championship and Copa America.

    Read Also: Labbadia: Green, Gombe  fault NFF 

    It marked the third time that the golden ball has been awarded on that basis, after previously going by calendar year. Karim Benzema and Lionel Messi were the other two winners.

    Messi scooped the prize based primarily on a tournament, having led Argentina to 2022 World Cup glory – and Euro 2024 may well have proved crucial for Rodri.

    The 28-year-old was named as the player of the tournament in Germany, helping La Roja to seven wins from as many games en route to the trophy.

    He was forced off through injury at half-time against England in the final, but shone before that, leading the team from central midfield. He chipped in with a knockout-stage goal against Georgia, too.

    At club level, Rodri’s importance had the spotlight shone on it in his absence. City lost three of the four Premier League games he missed last term.

    Fortunately for The Citizens, he put in sensationally consistent form throughout his 34 games, helping his team to a fourth league title in succession.

    Of his three defeats across all competitions, including with the national side, only one was within 90 minutes (against Manchester United, with penalty shootout losses to Arsenal and Real Madrid).

    The scorer of the winning goal in the previous season’s UEFA Champions League final also showed his clutch tendencies again, effectively wrapping up the title on the final day of 2023/24 against West Ham United.

    There was also an invaluable 88th-minute winner at Sheffield United earlier in the neck-and-neck race with rivals Arsenal.

    ALL THE WINNERS

    Women’s Ballon d’Or: Aitana Bonmati

    Men’s Coach of the Year: Carlo Ancelotti

     Men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy : Carlo Ancelotti

    Women’s Coach of the year: Emma Hayes

    Socrates Award: Jennifer Hermoso

    Yachine Trophy: Emiliano Martinez

    Gerd Muller Trophy  : Harry Kane & Kylian Mbappé 

    2024 Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal

    Men’s  Club of The Year: Real Madrid

    Women’s Club of the Year: Barcelona

  • Rodri out of the season, Guardiola confirms

    Rodri out of the season, Guardiola confirms

    Pep Guardiola confirmed that Manchester City will be without Rodri for the entire season after suffering ligament damage last weekend.

    In a major blow to City’s hopes in the title race, the central midfielder had surgery in Madrid on Friday morning.

    Guardiola suggested that Rodri suffered injuries to his anterior cruciate and meniscus and warned City must be careful with his recovery to thwart further issues down the line.

    City had taken two opinions from experts in the UK and Spain, hoping that initial fears around an ACL were unfounded.

    ‘His season is over,’ Guardiola said. ‘Unfortunately he got the worst [outcome]. But it is what it is. Unfortunately at this level, it happens. We are there to support him, and he will recover step by step and move forward.

    ‘When you have an ACL injury, it’s nine months and then you have muscle injuries the season after. We have magnificent players and will find the solution.

    ‘A lot of months without an important player for us, everybody knows it.’

    Read Also: Injured De Bruyne should be back soon, says Guardiola

    The Spaniard sustained serious ligament damage during the first half of City’s dramatic 2-2 draw with title rivals Arsenal last Sunday.

    Following deliberation with the club, Rodri chose to take to the operating table, with renowned sports surgeon Dr Manuel Leyes performing the surgery, according to Spanish media outlet Relevo.

    The Spaniard is a highly regarded orthopedic surgeon within the Spanish football community and City have decided to stand by Rodri’s decision to be treated by him.

    Real Madrid stars Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and Arda Guler all underwent successful knee surgeries executed by the Spanish doctor.

    The injury is a major blow to the champions with Rodri becoming a pivotal part in their recent successes.

    Last season, four of City’s five losses in all competition came when Rodri was missing through either suspension or injury.

    However, speaking following a 2-1 win over Watford in the Carabao Cup, Guardiola was keen to not use Rodri’s extended absence as an excuse in their attempts to defend the Premier League title once more.

    ‘We don’t want [Rodri’s injury], but we will still have a good season,’ said Guardiola. ‘I trust a lot in my players. I have a duty to find a solution.

    ‘Rodri is irreplaceable and the team won’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time. Of course it’s a big, big blow for us.

    ‘It’s football, it’s happened, and my duty is to find a solution, to be competitive like we have been for many years.

    ‘Rodri is not here, it’s a problem. But complain? I feel sorry for him. Recover best as possible, we wait for you, and go for it. This is the challenge. Go to Newcastle, try to win, do what we have done for many years. Simple as that.’

  • Man City confirm Rodri has injured knee ligament

    Man City confirm Rodri has injured knee ligament

    Manchester City have confirmed Spain midfielder Rodri suffered a knee ligament injury against Arsenal on Sunday.

    Rodri was substituted in the 21st minute after he twisted the joint in a collision with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey at a corner.

    No timescale has yet been put on the player’s recovery, but speaking after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Watford, Pep Guardiola said he is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

    “Still we don’t have the definitive [diagnosis] but he will be out for a long time – a while,” said the City boss. “But there are some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expected.

    “We are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get.

    “We expect that tonight, tomorrow we will know exactly.”

    Rodri has travelled to Spain to see a specialist following initial tests in Manchester.

    Guardiola has described the 28-year-old as “irreplaceable” – City have not last in the last 48 Premier League matches in which he has started – but the manager says he will find a solution in his absence.

    Read Also: Man City vs. Inter: Rodri warns of strike action over crowded fixture 

    City were beaten in four out of the five games Rodri missed last season, while he has lost just once in 50 appearances all competitions.

    He was also named player of the tournament as Spain won Euro 2024 in July and is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or next month – given to the world’s best player.

    A week ago the former Atletico Madrid player, who played 63 times for City and Spain last season, claimed players are “close to” striking over an increase in the number of games in the calendar, including an expanded Champions League and Club World Cup.

  • 10-men Man City beat Forest despite Rodri red card

    10-men Man City beat Forest despite Rodri red card

    Leaders Man City were forced to hang on to beat Nottingham Forest after Rodri’s red card but still maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season.

    City were cruising at the break thanks to early goals by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland but the game changed dramatically only 27 seconds after the restart.

    Rodri was shown a straight red for violent conduct after putting his hands around Morgan Gibbs-White’s throat as they tangled near the corner flag, with VAR upholding referee Anthony Taylor’s decision.

    Forest had been outplayed until that point, with City slicing them open with sparkling attacks down the right to score both their goals inside the first 15 minutes.

    Kyle Walker set up Foden to fire home City’s opener with a fine first-time finish, before Matheus Nunes crossed from the same flank for an unmarked Haaland to head home.

    Read Also: Awoniyi’s boss unfazed ahead of Nottingham’s clash with Manchester City

    The second half was a different story, however, with City having to dig in to protect their lead – and they mostly succeeded in keeping Forest at arms’ length.

    Clear chances for the visitors remained few and far between, with Orel Mangala scooping one shot over and Taiwo Awoniyi off target from close range, before Ederson denied Anthony Elanga late on.

    Tempers continued to boil over in the closing minutes, with City manager Pep Guardiola and the home fans unhappy with more of Taylor’s decisions, but City still held out.

    With the rest of the top four playing on Sunday the defending champions are now five points clear at the top of the table.