Spain’s Rodri ruled out of World Cup qualifiers

LONDON: Rodri has been ruled out of Spain’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers after suffering a hamstring injury during Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Brentford. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed the news in a statement ahead of their upcoming matches against Georgia and Bulgaria.

“Rodri is out of the squad because of injury,” the RFEF said. Before the setback, the 29-year-old played a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph; however, he also went off injured in the final against England and missed much of last season due to a serious knee injury. Earlier, Rodri underwent surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee after suffering the injury, which also affected the meniscus during a Premier League clash with Arsenal in September 2024.

After returning to action at the end of last season, Rodri had been building up his fitness in recent weeks as he aimed to return to the form that saw him win the Ballon d’Or last year. But in a City’s match against Brentford, he sat down in the centre circle holding his hamstring and eventually limped off to be replaced by Nico Gonzalez due to injury. Speaking after the injury, Rodrigo shared his experience.

“I felt a little bit in the hamstring – but it seems as though it’s not that much,” he said. “I stretched a bit, like in the final of the Euros. But the most important thing is it’s not that big.” Following the match and after Rodri’s injury, City manager Pep Guardiola stated the Spaniard would be out for ‘two or three weeks’. “Of course, I don’t want to lose him even a little, because he is such an important player. We tried to take care of him, but it is what it is,” Guardiola added.

It is pertinent to mention that the Spanish national team will play against Georgia on 10 October and Bulgaria on 14 October for the World Cup qualifiers. Web Desk