This morning, Man City completed their collection of club titles by crushing Fluminense 4-0 in the 2023 Club World Cup final in Saudi Arabia. Julian Alvarez and Foden had great performances to bring Man City to the throne in a tournament where they lost both Erling Haaland and De Bruyne.  

However, Man City’s victory almost came at a high price when their No. 1 defensive midfielder, Rodri, was tackled harshly and had to leave the field early. Rodri shouted after receiving a shocking foul from  Fluminense ‘s Alexsander  midway through the second half.

The 27-year-old Spanish midfielder hugged his knee and appeared to be in extreme pain, causing fans to worry that he had torn a ligament. Recently, a series of players have suffered serious knee injuries due to overloaded competition.

If this happens, it will be a “disaster” for Man City because Rodri is considered their most important player at this time. Since the beginning of the season, Man City has lost 3 matches – all in the Premier League. The common point in these 3 losses is that Rodri is absent due to suspension.

Even though he is a defensive midfielder, Rodri has scored 4 goals and assisted 6 other goals in 22 appearances for Man City. Like last season, the former Atletico Madrid midfielder often plays the role of hero when Man City falls into a deadlock or faces difficult circumstances.

Luckily for Man City, Rodri avoided serious injury. After limping off the field early, the midfielder did not need medical attention and was able to participate in the Club World Cup trophy reception ceremony with his teammates.

After the match, Rodri said he was very lucky to escape injury as he suffered “the worst tackle he has ever endured in his career”. The Man City midfielder said: “Today I am very lucky. It was one of the worst tackles of my career.”

“I was very scared because I felt a sharp pain in my knee but luckily it was nothing. I told my opponent that he couldn’t tackle the takedown like that. Today, I won more than an ordinary title. I got home safely but I almost cried. I feel very worried but it’s okay.”