To underline the enduring importance of Manchester City’s heartbeat, Pep Guardiola could not bear to hand in his Wembley teamsheet without the No 16 on it.
Rodri wasn’t fit on Saturday. He said as much afterwards, having lasted only 65 minutes of the FA Cup final and comfortably lost a race with Joao Pedro that marked the end of his afternoon. He hadn’t featured for almost a month, spanning five matches at the most crucial period of the season.
Sources suggested the Spaniard had not even completed a full session with the squad 24 hours out from meeting Chelsea. He’d attempted to come back from his groin problem twice in recent weeks but didn’t feel completely right. Wembley, though, was different – for him and for Guardiola.
A half-fit Rodri, his brain and understanding of exactly what the manager demands on the biggest stages, is a more palatable thought than no Rodri at all. While out injured, he spent his time acting as an auxiliary coach, sitting behind the bench and occasionally shouting instructions. After coming off in the final moments against Arsenal last month, he was down the touchline directing traffic.
Rodri’s influence on this team, one he joined in 2019 as somebody who owned a second-hand Vauxhall Corsa and buried his head in business studies university books, remains as obvious now as it was when he was scoring in Istanbul in the 2023 Champions League final or picking up the Ballon d’Or.
Given the experience departing the City squad this summer, it is exceptionally unlikely they would even have entertained the idea of Rodri joining Bernardo Silva and John Stones in leaving. Indeed, his leadership should become more pronounced in the absence of Silva.
Manchester City’s Rodri lifts the FA Cup at Wembley. The Spaniard was only half-fit but his manager Pep Guardiola played him anyway
City are desperate to keep hold of Rodri and are trying to extend his contract
City have made Rodri an offer to extend his contract beyond 2027, when his current deal expires, and hope the midfielder, who turns 30 during the World Cup, agrees the Etihad Stadium is the best place to continue. Those talks are taking place with Pablo Barquero, who has represented former City assistant manager Juanma Lillo.
Alarm bells must have been ringing during the last international break when, towards the end of a lengthy radio interview, Rodri talked up Real Madrid and how players struggle to turn down interest from the Spanish capital when it arrives.
Fans panicked, although his argument would be that he was merely delivering honest answers to the questions.
‘I’m calm,’ he said when quizzed on his future after clinching yet another piece of silverware, his 12th since joining City.
‘I’m only thinking about my club, finishing the season with as many titles as possible. We have the chance to win the Premier League and then the World Cup. I’m not thinking much about my future, I’ll be honest, because there’s another priority.’
City are planning to land a central midfielder this summer. Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson heads the wanted list – something which makes more and more sense with each passing week, especially after his performance at Old Trafford on Sunday – and there is hope City’s proposal will trump other suitors, like Manchester United.
Aside from the trophies, they may only need to point towards Rodri to illustrate two reasons why choosing City is Anderson’s obvious choice. The first is how Rodri has developed, becoming this behemoth and serial winner. And the second is how Anderson could learn off him. Both of those points are compelling.
Eventually, Rodri’s shoes will be rather large ones to fill – and City will be praying that he returns from America with a clean bill of health. Coming back from an ACL injury took a long time and the knock-on effect of that was other niggling issues – like that recent groin strain. He’s had additional knee problems this year as well as two months out with a hamstring problem just before new year.
Rodri celebrates winning the Euros in 2024. The midfielder is as important for Spain as he is for City
Manchester City may use the example of how Rodri has developed to persuade Elliot Anderson to join them from Nottingham Forest
Those are the sort of by-products that come with an ACL injury and now it will be about managing Rodri’s body in a way that prolongs his career.
Spain are likely to be careful with him at the World Cup, realising that he hasn’t been in tip-top physical condition at previous tournaments given the workload of English football. In Qatar in 2022, Rodri actually featured as a centre-half as they went out in the last 16.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente will find a way of squeezing the best out of Rodri, who will remember the tricky pitches he had to contend with during last summer’s Club World Cup that could have aggravated his knee.
The truth of it though is that Spain cannot do without Rodri when the very biggest moments arrive. And neither can City, the proof of that never more evident than at Wembley over the weekend.
