The 29-year-old midfielder returned to the pitch on Thursday (26.06.25) for the Sky Blues’ match with Juventus in the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time since last September, and Guardiola has now hailed Rodri’s long-awaited return as crucial for the team.
Speaking after the game - which ended with a 5-2 victory for City - the coach said: “Sooner or later Rodri had to start. I said, 'Okay, 45 minutes', but at half-time he said he wanted five to 10 minutes more. The game was under control.
“In the last few games we have conceded a lot of transitions but it didn't happen this time. Everyone knows how important Rodri is. He is one of the best players in the world. When they're not in a team, they're missed.
“We're happy he played a good 60 minutes and hopefully he can help us again a lot like has happened ever since he arrived.”
Rodri had been out of action for months after damaging his ACL, but upon his return to the pitch, Rodri played a vital role in City’s victory over Juventus- completing the fourth-most final third passes of anyone on the Sky Blues’ side.
When asked about the significance of the midfielder for City, Guardiola said: “Rodri won the Ballon d'Or!
“Having him back in the team, you can see the difference and how important he is. First game back, starting against a big team, he showed his qualities and he had a lot of impact. I'm happy for him.”
He continued: “I don't have to speak much about Rodri, his career speaks for itself. Everyone knows how important he is for us. We're happy that slowly he's getting back to his best level, we know it takes time with the injury he had.
“But you saw here he is getting better and better, and even without being at 100 per cent he helps the team a lot. His character as well makes him a big player.”
Following their victory over Juventus, Manchester City are set to face Al-Hilal on Tuesday (01.07.25), and Guardiola is prepared to throw everything the team’s got to get through to the quarter-finals.
He said: “We're very happy with what we did against a top team. It was our best performance at this tournament. I don't know if it's a statement win, it's just three points. We're happy to be here and qualify for the last 16.
“We're here to win so we're one step closer to that goal. It's now kill or be killed. We have to be ready.”
