Rodri shares what Man City medical team have told him about injury return

Rodri described 2024 as both 'brutal' and 'magnificent' as he reflected on the highs of winning the Premier League, European Championship and Ballon d'Or - while also suffering a season-ending injury.

The Spaniard offered a positive update on his injury, expressing confidence that he will be able to look forwards on his return rather than come back too quickly and risk setbacks after such a long time out. He told AS that he is 'coping quite well' with the injury and has previously said that he hopes to return towards the end of this season, perhaps at the FIFA Club World Cup in June and July.

And Rodri dismissed a growing concern around his return next season - that he will struggle to reach the heights he managed when firing City to the Treble and being crowned the best player in the world.

"Right now, my obsession is to recover well," he said of his 2025 ambitions. "I think that when someone has a long-term injury, what they want is to give their body the opportunity to get well again and, above all, to get back to their level. That's it, it's being well, it's not having any problems.

"First of all, I want to recover and come back in good shape; then, try to get back to the level I left at; and finally, of course, keep winning.

"I'm not afraid [of not reaching the same levels again]. I know the player I am. I know that these kinds of injuries are not the same as they were 30 years ago. Also, the medical team has given me infinite peace of mind in that sense, that I shouldn't worry, that I can come back without anything that will hinder me.

"But hey, when you're off the pitch for six, seven or eight months it's not easy to get back into it. Little by little."

Rodri also addressed the controversy in Spain around his Ballon d'Or win, with Real Madrid boycotting the ceremony and still insisting that Vinicius Jr should have won the award.

"I see it [the trophy] with people and we go crazy, honestly, in the sense of saying… what a mess we made!" he joked. "You never think you can get to this point, but it is true that once you are there, in the conversation of the world of football and when you realise that you have the level to fight for it, you say… why not?"

And reflecting on his homecoming celebrations at the Etihad, when he was paraded onto the pitch against Tottenham, Rodri said the welcome was completely unexpected.

"It was brutal. I was talking about it with Kovacic: he has been to the Ballon d'Or celebrations in Madrid, but he told me that he had never seen anything like it," Rodri said. "Very few places have treated a player the way City have. I will be eternally grateful for what they did."

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