Days after pointing out the number of games in a season is too high, Rodri will have to take a long break from football – unfortunately, it will be nowhere near as pleasant as he would have liked. The Spaniard had to leave the pitch, having played 16 minutes yesterday against Arsenal, due to a potential knee injury. Today, the worst predictions have come true – arguably the best midfielder in the world tore his ACL and will have to miss the remainder of the season, as per Marca.Rodri is out for the season after tearing his ACL against Arsenal, per multiple reports. The Ballon d’Or contender has only played 66 Premier League minutes this season.Damn 💔 pic.twitter.com/NiElfoWTdE— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 23, 2024 After probably the best season in his career – in which he won the Premier League with Man City and the EURO 2024 with Spain and was named “Player of the Tournament” – Rodri has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or as one of the favourites to win the prestigious award. Sadly, this terrible injury has turned this season full of expectations into a nightmare. According to Marca, Rodri has already taken off to Madrid, where he will undergo surgery. Rodri’s injury represents a massive blow for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. Alongside Kevin De Bruyne, the 28-year-old was a key part of the Cityzens’ midfield. Last season, he was one of the players with most minutes on the pitch, while City made a 74-game winning streak with him in the starting lineup. Hence, many referred to him as Guardiola’s lucky charm.Has Rodri started an avalanche? Koundé and Orban support the strikeAlthough the Spanish strategist has a number of alternatives, such as Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, or even John Stones, Rico Lewis, Phil Foden, or Jack Grealish, none of them can adequately replace Rodri. Yesterday’s derby with Arsenal made it apparent since the Cityzens struggled to score for the entire half, despite being a man up. Now, Arsenal and Liverpool’s chances for the Premier League title – as City’s biggest competition – have become significantly higher.Awful news for Barca fans! Club reveals the longevity of Ter Stegen’s absenceFinally, one cannot help but notice that only a couple of hours after Rodri, Barcelona’s goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a knee injury against Villarreal, which will separate him from the pitch for 7-8 months. This may, of course, be just a coincidence. However, perhaps, and only perhaps, Rodri, Jules Kounde, and all the other players who raised their voices against the game overload were right. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8358088##
