JAKARTA - Spanish midfielder and Manchester City, Rodri, said the Ballon d'Or award he received last year was not enough to make up for his absence from football due to injury.
The 29-year-old was absent for most of last season due to anterior cruciatum (ACL) ligament injury. Although he won the most prestigious individual award in the world of football a month after his absence, it did not completely cover his disappointment.
"The injury was much more significant than the Ballon d'Or. It was like a breath of fresh air when I was going through difficult times," he said at a press conference ahead of the 2026 World Cup Qualification match.
"I'm happy with this confession, but it's useless to me. I still want to be the same player. Most importantly, when you go through this process mentally, I want to get back to my level, I want to enjoy football again. That's my only goal."
"So far I've played two (matches this season) with my club, one of which is full. I'll play as soon as possible, to get back to my best."
Rodri, who came off the bench after an hour in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria in the middle of last week, learned he now has competition at the national level of Arsenal's signing in the summer, Martin Zubimendi.
However, he welcomed that. Rodri told the 26-year-old that he represented the team's future.
"He's a great player. He has discipline and mentality that can lead him to become one of the best, if he hasn't been the best."
"I spoke to him a few days ago and said it was time that I handed him the team key."
"He's already at an incredible level and I'm happy to see the team at the same level.
"I'm very happy to be back here. I feel fresh again and very excited, physically I feel very good. Now it's just a matter of how we can get back to our best performance," he said.
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