Guardiola delighted with 'incredible' Rodri impact
Rodri made his long-awaited return to Manchester City's starting line-up against Juventus on Thursday, helping them to a big victory.
Pep Guardiola hailed Rodri's influence as he made his first start for Manchester City since returning from his long-term knee injury against Juventus on Thursday.
Rodri was named in City's starting line-up for the first time since September as they recorded a thumping 5-2 victory over Juventus to secure top spot in Group G at the Club World Cup.
He had previously made two substitute appearances in the competition, playing 59 minutes across their first two matches.
On Thursday, he was taken off in the 66th minute, lasting longer than Guardiola had expected him to in Orlando.
"Sooner or later, Rodri had to start," explained Guardiola. "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."
City struggled in 2024-25, finishing 13 points behind winners Liverpool, with many putting that down to Rodri's absence.
The Spaniard has missed 94 games in all competitions since joining City in July 2019, with their win rate sitting at 57.4% without Rodri in the side, compared to 73.9% with him.
City also concede 1.1 goals per game without the midfielder, and 0.8 in the 264 matches he has played.
New City captain Bernardo Silva was also full of praise for the 29-year-old's impact on Thursday.
"I don't have to speak much about Rodri, his career speaks for itself," he said.
"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%, he helps the team a lot. His character, as well, makes him a big player."
City will face Al-Hilal in the round of 16 on Monday.
