Rodri: We may stop playing football, and winning the Ballon d'Or is a dream

Manchester City midfield star Rodri appeared in a press conference to talk about tomorrow’s confrontation against Inter, in the first round of the league round of the Champions League competition.

He said The player about a strike due to the large number of matches: “I think we are close to that (not playing). It is the general opinion of the players, and if it continues like this, we will have no other choice. I really think it is something that worries us. We are the guys who are suffering.”

On the ideal number of matches for a footballer: “From my experience, I can tell you that 60 or 70 matches - but no. Between 40 and 50 is the number of matches in which a player can perform.” At the highest level after that it decreases because it is impossible to maintain the physical level. This year we may reach 70 or perhaps 80 matches, in my humble opinion, I think it is too much.”

He stressed: “Someone has to take care of us because we are the main figures in this sport or business, or whatever you want to call it, it is not all about money or marketing. It is about the quality of the show. In my opinion, when I am not Tired, I perform better. If people want to see better football, we need to rest.”

He added: “You try to be strong, you try to start the machine again. , through winning or performing well. The start of the season has been great for us because the earlier you get into that groove, the easier it is to continue into the season. The key is to try to be as fit as possible and try to focus on mental health - being strong in the moment.”

On his competition for the Ballon d’Or: “I am very happy with everything that has happened to me over the past year, winning what we won [with City] and last summer in the European Championship with my country. It is just a dream. It is The consequences of hard work, consistency and never giving up. Individual awards are just a result of the work and I really feel now as if people are really recognizing my work and trying to push me to win the Ballon d'Or. Of course, I never imagined that I would reach this moment, but on the other hand, once you get here, you just want to let people express their opinions and that's it."

He continued: “We all know how things go in football, but I think there is A lot of people who really appreciate the role of the midfielder, so let's see what happens."

He added:" I watched the replay of the Inter match in the 2023 final maybe once or twice. But I watched short clips of the matches thousands of times.”

He stressed: “Haaland’s condition gives you the reality of football now. Haaland did not play the Euro and took a long vacation. See now how he is performing.” And what condition does he appear in? This is what happens when the player gets enough rest, so the players did not ask to organize the match schedule out of the blue.

He concluded: “Your future? I am committed to my contract with Manchester City.”