When Manchester City got Spanish midfielder Rodri from Atletico Madrid for a club record of £62.8 million in 2019, Pep Guardiola knew the kind of player he was getting, but maybe not many would have anticipated how instrumental the midfielder would be.

Rodri has been so influential for Manchester City since he joined five years ago and has grown to be almost indispensable having played 66 games and 429 days without losing a game while playing for City in any competition.

Furthermore, Rodri is in the top 30 players who have played the most games and minutes in the top five leagues this season. The midfielder has 3,497 minutes of games under his belt this season. That number is the 23rd most of any player from Europe’s top leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France.

Perhaps this gives a context to why he is looking to end his season early by taking a break while Manchester City chases a treble in the late of the season. Manchester City faced Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarterfinal fixture in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

The game ended 3-3, and it was the 27-year-old’s 47th game of the season in all competitions. The player has admitted that he needs rest and that they are discussing the possibility of arranging a rest period for him.

Unfortunately, it might be a very tough decision for Pep Guardiola to make as Manchester City were punished during the time that Rodri was unavailable this season. 

Manchester City lost all four games that Rodri has missed through suspension this season. Manchester City is still in the run for the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and the FA Cup in search of a second consecutive treble.

The defending champions are in third position on the Premier League table and still have a second-leg tie against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League at Etihad Stadium next week.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu