If Rodri attended the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to send a message to coach Pep Guardiola that he was ready to return to competition, the Spanish midfielder did not waste his time to convey that message.
Before Manchester City's first training session at the Florida coaching base, Rodri was playing against anyone else. He trained with an assistant of Guardiola and while his teammates were still running on the pitch, Rodri passed the ball from one border to the other.
Guardiola and everyone at City will be happy to see Rodri return strongly, even just on the training ground.
It has been 9 months since the 28-year-old left the Etihad Stadium in a weakness, almost burst into tears, and his knee ligament was so damaged that it required surgery. The 2-2 draw with Arsenal - secured thanks to John Stones' 90th-minute equalizer - was a good result. However, in reality, it was the day when the Citizens' hopes of winning the Premier League for the fifth consecutive time began to smolter into smoke.
Guardiola has stressed that Rodri's long absence is not the only factor that has kept City in their worst season in a decade. But even now, he is struggling to hide the scale of that impact.
"Rodri is getting better. Nearly 9 months since that sad day happened. He has been out for a long time. He is getting better. He can play 20 minutes, 30 minutes at a time.
He wants to play to help the team, but we want to protect his knee. Hopefully one day soon, he can play from the start" - Guardiola said about his student.
Guardiola is still remaining cautious. Rodri spent the early part of his recovery in Spain, but returned to Manchester after Christmas to speed up his recovery. He returned to the Man City football academy in February and by April, Rodri had made efforts to play.
It was not until the penultimate match of the season against Bournemouth at the end of May that the Spaniard really returned, coming off the bench 7 minutes before the match ended.
At the FIFA Club World Cup, Rodri is one of only four members of City's 27-man squad who have not played a match. But after 30 minutes against Wydad AC and Al Ain in the opening two matches in the US, he has gradually adapted.
Guardiola will be tempted to pick Rodri from the start in the match against Juventus in Orlando, as the winning team will top Group G and could avoid Real Madrid in the round of 16.
"It's great to have him back. He is a great player for us. Obviously, it's good that Rodri has time to play right now.
He has been training for a while, so it's great to see him back on the pitch. He is very important for us both on and off the pitch," Nathan Ake said when asked about Rodri's impact.
The Etihad team's loss of Rodri last season cannot be underestimated. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, City's winning rate with him in the team has been nearly 76% (106 wins, 23 draws, 11 losses). Without him, this rate would have dropped to 54% (27 wins, 8 draws, 15 losses) - an incredible difference.
City's source said Rodri's absence has affected the mentality of some players and the belief that they can win matches. Especially in the poor period in November and December when The Citizens were in a sluggish slump. Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva have all tried their hand at deep-lying midfielders at different stages of the previous season, but no one has been able to repeat what Rodri has done.
That shortage was so large that City spent nearly £50 million to sign Nico Gonzalez from FC Porto in January. Guardiola called him a "thinking Rodri", but so far that has been almost impossible.
For the new players and coaches, Guardiola is talking about the FIFA Club World Cup as a fresh start. He said that this is the beginning of a new season, not a continuation of the previous season.
There is excitement surrounding the signings of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri, as well as curiosity about what Jurgen Klopp's former assistant at Liverpool, Pep Lijnders will bring to the coaching team.
But after all the talk about a new start and a new era, the return of a familiar face will bring the greatest excitement to Guardiola and City fans. Rodri is finally ready to play.
