The Spain international accused referee Robert Jones of not being “neutral” in City’s 2-2 draw on 1 February.

The Football Association said Rodri admitted a charge that he “acted in an improper manner during a post-match media interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official and/or match officials”.

Rodri was angry that Dominic Solanke’s goal was allowed to stand after he appeared to kick through the leg of City defender Marc Guehi.

“I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral,” Rodri said after the game.

“It’s not fair because we work so hard. When everything is finished, you are frustrated.”

The FA’s regulatory commission was “unanimous” in its view that the threshold had not been met for a playing sanction to be imposed on Rodri, who sent two letters as part of his evidence.

In the first letter, he said his words were “misunderstood and misinterpreted by some media organisations”, but in the second he acknowledged they were “inappropriate and fell below the standard expected”.

“I wish to make clear that I did not intend to imply bias or question the integrity of the match officials,” Rodri wrote in the second letter.

“I have always had, and continue to have, great respect for referees and the difficult job they undertake in a fast-moving and highly pressured environment.

“My comments were made in a moment of frustration after a disappointing result.

“Upon reflection, I recognise that the words I used were poorly chosen and capable of being interpreted in a way that I did not intend.”

There were mitigating circumstances, such as the 115 charges hanging over the club, speculation over Guardiola’s future and injury to midfielder Rodri.

But, after spending roughly £330m across this summer and January’s transfer window, City were expected to return refreshed, revitalised and ready to reclaim the Premier League title.

Evidence of that is in short supply.

In fact, following Brighton’s last-gasp 2-1 victory on Sunday, City have now made their worst start to a Premier League campaign since the 2004-05 season – and no team in a 38-game campaign has recovered from their position to win the title.

So, despite the return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and with Erling Haaland back on the goal trail, are City still realistic title challengers?

‘We forgot how to play’

Guardiola’s best teams have been built on control, patterns of play and attacking incision.

When City beat Wolves 4-0 on the opening weekend of the season, it was natural to think the troubles that had plagued them last term had been erased over the summer.

But Sunday’s defeat on the south coast was a repeat of the inconsistency City displayed throughout last season.

Guardiola’s side stifled Brighton in the first half, limiting the Seagulls to a single opportunity through Kaoru Mitoma.

Haaland, making his 100th Premier League appearance for City, opened the scoring with his 88th league goal for the club.

But a quadruple substitution by Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler after an hour changed the course of the game, with James Milner, Brajan Gruda, Georginio Rutter and Yasin Ayari entering the fray.

Brighton dominated from there on, equalising from the penalty spot through Milner, before a last-minute winner from Gruda.

“We conceded two goals. We were excellent for one hour,” Guardiola told BBC Sport.

“After the goal we forgot to play. We were thinking of the consequences.

“I like many, many things we are doing. Like against Tottenham, we started well. I like many things the team has done here today but we were unable to win. When we conceded the goal, we stopped playing.

“It’s one game. The season has just started. There is a long, long season ahead of us. We will see what happens.”

Only Manchester United’s 1992-1993 title-winning team have recovered from losing two of their first three league matches to be crowned champions, and that came during a 42-game season.

“It’s back to the drawing board for Man City,” said former Chelsea and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

“There are a lot of questions still about this team and Pep Guardiola. Is he going to turn it around? He has never been in a situation quite like this before and the hole keeps getting deeper and deeper.”

Rodri ‘needs to recover best level’

Nothing impacted City’s disappointing campaign last season more than the absence of Rodri.

The Spaniard, crowned the best player in the world at the 2024 Ballon d’Or awards, was ruled out with a cruciate knee ligament injury last September.

The former Atletico Madrid midfielder has long been City’s difference-maker.

In fact, before defeat by Brighton, City hadn’t lost a game in which Rodri had started in the Premier League since a 1-0 defeat by Spurs in February 2023 – ending a 49-game unbeaten streak for the Spaniard.

The 29-year-old remains City’s most important player but it would be unjust to expect him to return to the levels he had shown previously after eight months out with injury.

“I’m not [Lionel] Messi. I’m not going to come back and just make the team win and win and win,” Rodri told Sky Sports.

“This is a collective. When we won in the past I needed all my team-mates. For sure I need to recover my best level and we have to look to all of ourselves, it is a collective sport. Hopefully after the break we can be much better.”

Rodri, who was making his first Premier League start since injuring his knee against Arsenal 11 months ago, was also keen to stress his return alone would not be enough for City to rediscover their former selves.

“Some of the mistakes we are doing are kids’ mistakes, you are not concentrating and paying attention,” he added.

“The reality is that we have to raise the level if we want to compete.”

“We are not at the level for a long, long time.”

The Spain international spent most of the 2024-25 season sidelined as a result of suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury last September.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner returned to action when he came on as a late substitute in City’s penultimate Premier League game of last season against Bournemouth.

The 29-year-old was also part of Guardiola’s squad at the Club World Cup in the United States during in the summer when City went out at the last-16 stage to Al-Hilal.

Rodri came on as a second-half substitute against the Saudi Arabian side but went off early in extra time with what is thought to have been a groin issue.

“Rodri is getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal,” said Guardiola.

“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break, he will be really fit.”

City open their Premier League campaign at Wolves on 16 August and then play Tottenham and Brighton before the September internationals.

“Hopefully in these games, he can play some minutes, but what is important is that he doesn’t have pain because we don’t want Rodri coming back injured. We will try desperately to avoid that,” Guardiola added.

“He has been training the last two sessions with us and that’s good.”

Footage of the Spain midfielder training was posted by the club on Friday, less than 24 hours before they advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals by beating Plymouth Argyle.

City officials are desperate to play down any kind of immediate timescale on Rodri’s return.

But given how much the Euro 2024 winner has been missed – the Premier League champions are currently fourth in the table, 20 points behind current leaders Liverpool after eight league defeats – it is not surprising the images generated a huge amount of excitement among their fans.

And, for the first time since Rodri suffered a major knee injury against Arsenal in September, Guardiola feels the 28-year-old could feature before the end of the campaign, with the Fifa Club World Cup to follow in June.

“The fans must know they are not the only ones who are excited,” said the City boss. “It’s been five months or six months.

“But [it’s] one step at a time. We don’t have to make stupid decisions [for him] to come weeks earlier. He’s not close to coming back, but he’s touching the ball and is in the locker room.

“He feels confident and happy.

“I could not expect before [him to return] before the end of the season, not even for the [Club] World Cup, but maybe it’s going to happen.”

Guardiola also confirmed defender Nathan Ake will have more tests on a problem he fears might keep the Netherlands international out for some time.

“He struggles sometimes with the feet,” he added. “It’s been like this the whole season with the central defenders.”

Ake, 30, has been restricted to 18 appearances so far this season due to a succession of short-term injuries and was taken off at half-time against Plymouth. Fellow defenders John Stones and Manuel Akanji also missed the FA Cup win through injury.

Spain midfielder Rodri claimed the prestigious honour ahead of the Brazil winger last October, with Real boycotting the ceremony in Paris because they felt their player had deserved the award.

The large banner unfurled by City fans on Tuesday night at Etihad Stadium showed Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or alongside the words “Stop crying your heart out”.

However, a last-minute Jude Bellingham goal ensured it was Real who were celebrating at full-time as they won 3-2.

“I saw the banner,” Vinicius Jr told Movistar.

“Whenever the opposing fans do things like that they give me more strength to have a great game and here I have done it.”

This was the fourth successive season – and the fifth in six – that the two teams have met in the knockout stages of the tournament.

Real won on penalties when the pair faced off in the quarter-finals last year and Carlo Ancelotti’s side went on to win their 15th title.

“They know our history, everything we do in this competition,” Vinicius Jr added.

“It is the fifth time we come here, it is always very cold, but this time we have won and we have to continue this.”

The two sides meet in Madrid in the second leg next Wednesday.

Bellingham delivers more last-gasp heroics

Bellingham memorably scored a last-minute goal for England against Slovakia to send their Euro 2024 last-16 match into extra time, and he delivered the late heroics once again in Manchester.

“It was a big goal,” Real boss Carlo Ancelotti told Amazon Prime.

“He played a fantastic game and was always dangerous. It was a top game for him.”

Bellingham, who has scored 11 goals in all competitions this season, added: “It was a weird one. We played some of our best football of the season and ended up behind.

“I don’t care what form City are in they are still an unbelievable team. It’s always tricky to play against them and we finally took the chance at the end.”

On next week’s second leg, he added: “It’s always good to take a lead back home and I’m sure the Bernabeu will come through for us.

“It seems like there is up and downs in these knockout games. It’s not just game management, it’s tactical and it’s psychological as well.”

The Manchester City midfielder beat the Real Madrid forward to the top award, and Vinicius and his Madrid colleagues decided not to attend the ceremony in protest.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, has become the latest high-profile figure to throw into question Rodri’s victory.

The Portuguese veteran, who made 292 appearances for Los Blancos, revealed his belief that the Brazilian should have taken the award for winning the UEFA Champions League and scoring in the final as Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0.

“In my opinion, he [Vinicius] deserved to win the golden ball. It was unfair, in my opinion. I say [it] here in front of everybody,” Ronaldo said.

“They gave it to Rodri, he deserved it too, but they should have given it to Vinicius because he won the Champions League and scored in the final.”

In an interview with Spanish outlet AS, Rodri said Ronaldo’s comments were “a surprise”, hitting back at the 39-year-old.

Rodri played 50 times in all competitions in 2023/24, scoring nine times as City pipped Arsenal to the Premier League title.

“Well, it was a surprise, really, because he knows better than anyone how this award works and, above all, how the winner is chosen,” Rodri said.

“This year, the journalists who voted have decided that I should win it. Probably, these same journalists were the ones who at some point voted for him to win it, and I imagine that then he would have agreed.”

Rodri is still sidelined with the cruciate ligament injury he sustained during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September.

The midfielder has spoken of his desire to return to the Citizens’ midfield before the end of the current campaign, with Pep Guardiola in need of a new lease of life having overseen just one win in his last nine league games – before the recent win over Leicester.

“We are in a critical situation at City,” Rodri said. “I always say that when there are absences in certain positions, the team feels the effects. We have experienced this in other years with [Kevin] De Bruyne or with another player who has been absent for a long time. It is a time when the team has to be united.

“I know that we are in a bad time, a time that we are perhaps finding difficult to assimilate and in which we are not feeling well, but in the end, this is part of sport. You have to pick yourself up. The good thing is that there is room for improvement in the rest of the season. This changes a lot. Football changes.

“I don’t think that, in the end, this moment will be very significant, neither for the good nor the bad. You go through phases throughout the year. The seasons are longer now and maturity and calm are important.

“Obviously, you must not relax or believe that this is going to change overnight. That doesn’t happen in football. It has to improve gradually. We are in a situation, I would say, that is a bit of a limit. You have to try to win, but without panic.”

Rodri ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September, an injury boss Pep Guardiola said would keep him out for the rest of the season.

City have failed to win any of their past six games in all competitions in Rodri’s absence, and the Spain international hopes to help his team-mates before the season is over.

“My target is to come back this season. I don’t give up on this season, [but] I don’t want to make any mistakes. My target is six or seven months,” Rodri told The Rest Is Football podcast.

“I am doing much better than I thought. I am enjoying the rest, if it possible to say it that way.

“My feeling was, not like a crack, the knee was stable. I was confident it wasn’t too bad. But I have a positive mentality now and that’s it.

“The first month and a half was bad in terms of pain, I couldn’t walk, but now it is easier.”

The Premier League season finishes on 25 May, eight days after the FA Cup final on 17 May.

The domestic campaign is followed by the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, held in the United States, which features City and runs from 15 June until the final on 13 July.

‘I can’t respect Madrid Ballon d’Or boycott’

In the space of a few months, Rodri went from the high of winning Euro 2024 with Spain, to the low of sustaining a serious injury and then winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

“I have lived the best and worst part of my career with the Ballon d’Or and then injury, but it gives me oxygen to come back again in a good way,” he said.

“I can’t describe the emotion [of winning it]. In my generation [we] only see two guys winning the trophy [Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo].”

Rodri’s triumph was overshadowed by Real Madrid’s decision to boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, a decision widely thought to have been taken because of Vinicius Jr’s failure to win the top prize.

“I cannot respect the decision,” Rodri said of Madrid’s no-show.

“In sport and in life, it’s important to win. But I think even more how to lose, and I say always the same – it was my moment, I didn’t want to speak about others.

“They didn’t want to be there – I want to be with my club, with my family, the people that were there and clapped me, and that was a fantastic moment.”

‘First year under Pep was massive change’

Guardiola may be experiencing the worst spell of his managerial career, but 28-year-old Rodri is delighted the City boss recently signed a two-year contract extension.

“I used to stay behind training most of the time with the manager, talking, because I wanted information,” Rodri said.

“As the years go, you don’t need that so much, but first year was a massive change for me.

“Pep has the desire to be better every day. He has won the lot, he doesn’t need to do this. He has this hunger to go again, which is why I am so excited he has decided to stay.

“He grabs you in his room and tells you tactics, he is always there with sessions. He demands from you and if someone doesn’t push you every day, you don’t grow.

“He is an unbelievable worker. Of course he is the best. The titles talk by themselves but also Spain, Germany and England – he has been influential everywhere.”

The 28-year-old was recently awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or as recognition for a period in which he won the Champions League in 2023 and Euro 2024 with Spain the next year.

Ex-Barcelona man Messi has won three of the last four Ballon d’Ors prior to Rodri, with the midfielder claiming that the latter is the greatest “without any doubt” during an interview on Spanish TV.

“Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time, without any doubt. Cristiano has managed to match Messi without innate talent. But those of us who have played against them can see the difference,” said Rodri, speaking to El Hormiguero.

“We didn’t want Cristiano to step into the box because he was lethal there. But with Messi, the danger was everywhere on the pitch.”

Ronaldo has scored a total of 928 goals in his career for club and country, winning 34 major trophies including five Champions League titles. He has also won the Ballon d’Or on five occasions.

Messi, meanwhile, has scored 877 goals, won the Champions League on four occasions and the Ballon d’Or eight times, most recently in 2023.

Messi is now at Inter Miami, while Rodri is recovering from an ACL injury at Manchester City, although the two faced each other in LaLiga during the midfielder’s spells at Villarreal and Atletico Madrid before his Premier League move.

“When Messi got the ball, you’d think: ‘Oh, danger’,” he added. “When I first started playing against him, I tried to take the ball from him, and he dodged you as if you were a bull in the ring. The feeling I had was that something bad was about to happen.”

The Spain midfielder saw off competition from Real Madrid duo Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham – who finished second and third respectively – to win the prize.

Rodri was instrumental in City’s Premier League title victory in May and was named player of the tournament as Spain won Euro 2024.

Real Madrid were absent from the ceremony after reportedly learning that Vinicius, who was clear favourite for the award, had not won.

“If they [Real Madrid] want to go, it’s fine. If they don’t, it’s fine as well,” said former Barcelona manager Guardiola.

“If they want to congratulate, it’s fine. If they don’t want to congratulate, it’s fine as well.

“If you are in the first two or three [places] it’s exceptional. It means you have done an incredible year and you have to be so satisfied.

“Should it be Vinicius? Maybe. It’s [voted by] journalists, you know, not an elite group of people who decide. It’s [journalists] all around the world that votes, not just one country. There are different opinions, and that’s what makes football nice, no?

Rodri is the first Manchester City player to win the Ballon d’Or and the first Premier League-based player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008.

Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won it 14 times over the past 16 years.

Spain legend Xavi finished third behind Messi on three occasions, while team-mate Andres Iniesta was runner-up to the Argentine in 2010.

“I think Rodri perfectly represents City, but also Spanish football and their influence in world football,” said Guardiola.

“In the last 10, 15 years it has been massively important – not just winning trophies but the way they play.

“Maybe in that moment Xavi and Iniesta deserved it as well. I think maybe Rodri gets what Spanish football deserves.”

He is the first Spaniard to win the Ballon d’Or since Luis Suarez in 1960, the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, and the first midfielder since Luka Modric in 2018.

Rodri arrived at the ceremony on crutches, having ruptured his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) last month in the early stages of a draw with Arsenal – an injury which has ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

The bookmakers’ favourite to win the Ballon d’Or over recent weeks was Vinicius Junior, with the Brazilian having fired Los Blancos to a Champions League and La Liga double.

Vinicius scored 24 goals and assisted 11 more across all competitions, including a brace in the Champions League semi-final at Bayern Munich and one in the final win over Borussia Dortmund.

It was not enough, though, with Vinicius and the rest of the Madrid squad – including fellow Ballon d’Or contender Jude Bellingham – not travelling to Paris after learning of their fate in advance.

On finishing ahead of those two superstars, Rodri said: “With the players that surround me, amazing players at the highest level… so young, they have all the future in their hands…

“I’m so proud to be elected as the best in front of these guys. I want to say ‘thank you’ to the people that recognise my value in the game.”

Monday evening’s ceremony in Paris crowned the best men’s player on the planet based on performances in the 2023/24 campaign, which culminated with the international summer tournaments: the European Championship and Copa America.

It marked the third time that the golden ball has been awarded on that basis, after previously going by calendar year. Karim Benzema and Lionel Messi were the other two winners.

Messi scooped the prize based primarily on a tournament, having led Argentina to 2022 World Cup glory – and Euro 2024 may well have proved crucial for Rodri.

The 28-year-old was named as the player of the tournament in Germany, helping La Roja to seven wins from as many games en route to the trophy.

He was forced off through injury at half-time against England in the final, but shone before that, leading the team from central midfield. He chipped in with a knockout-stage goal against Georgia, too.

At club level, Rodri’s importance had the spotlight shone on it in his absence. City lost three of the four Premier League games he missed last term.

Fortunately for The Citizens, he put in sensationally consistent form throughout his 34 games, helping his team to a fourth league title in succession.

Of his three defeats across all competitions, including with the national side, only one was within 90 minutes (against Manchester United, with penalty shootout losses to Arsenal and Real Madrid).

The scorer of the winning goal in the previous season’s UEFA Champions League final also showed his clutch tendencies again, effectively wrapping up the title on the final day of 2023/24 against West Ham United.

There was also an invaluable 88th-minute winner at Sheffield United earlier in the neck-and-neck race with rivals Arsenal.

Having been presented with the award by 1995 Ballon d’Or winner George Weah, Rodri said on his triumph and goalscoring exploits: “Incredible night for me.

“I try to improve every day, try to level up my game. I was a traditional midfielder, but realised I have to get better in the last third – assists, goals. That’s why my presence has been increased.

“It’s the modern holding midfielder role. You have to be like a striker! That’s the key, to level up every day.

“People don’t know me much. I’m just a normal guy. I try to be a good person, a leader. I try to improve and learn every day from the best. I’m a calm person… until I get upset! I’m a normal guy.”

Asked by host Didier Drogba whether he’ll sleep with the trophy, Rodri replied: “100% yes!”

Ballon d’Or ranking: top 10

• 1. Rodri – Manchester City and Spain
• 2. Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid and Brazil
• 3. Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid and England
• 4. Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid and Spain
• 5. Erling Haaland – Manchester City and Norway
• 6. Kylian Mbappe – Paris Saint-Germain (now Real Madrid) and France
• 7. Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan and Argentina
• 8. Lamine Yamal – Barcelona and Spain
• 9. Toni Kroos – Real Madrid and Germany (now retired)
• 10. Harry Kane – Bayern Munich and England

The 28-year-old limped out of Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday following a collision with Thomas Partey.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says Rodri has now had surgery on his knee and will miss the rest of the campaign.

“He had surgery this morning – ACL and some meniscus,” Guardiola said on Friday.

“So, next season he will be here. This season is over [for him].”

Guardiola said Rodri was “irreplaceable” during last season’s title run-in, in which City pipped Arsenal to win their fourth consecutive league title.

Rodri missed five games last season and City lost four of them.

“Unfortunately we got the worst (news) but these things happen,” added Guardiola. “We will be there to support him in his recovery step-by-step.

“What he gives us, we don’t have a similar player.

“But the others can all together replace what Rodri has given since his arrival to us. We will have to do it as a team and find a way to play a lot of matches without an important player for us.”

Meanwhile, City are set to be without Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne for their Premier League trip to Newcastle United on Saturday (12:30 BST).

De Bruyne missed the draw with Arsenal and may not return to action until after the international break in October.

Rodri’s importance

Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, City have lost just 11% of the matches in which Rodri has featured, compared with 24% without the Spaniard.

Rodri was making his first start of the Premier League season against Arsenal, having sustained a hamstring injury during Spain’s 2-1 win against England in the Euro 2024 final in July that kept him out for six weeks.

The midfielder was voted player of the tournament as Spain won the trophy for a fourth time and is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or next month – given to the world’s best player.

Earlier this month the former Atletico Madrid player, who played 63 times for City and Spain last season, claimed players are “close to” striking over an increase in the number of games in the calendar, including an expanded Champions League and Club World Cup.

Rodri was substituted in the 21st minute after he twisted the joint in a collision with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey at a corner.

No timescale has yet been put on the player’s recovery, but speaking after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Watford, Pep Guardiola said he is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“Still we don’t have the definitive [diagnosis] but he will be out for a long time – a while,” said the City boss. “But there are some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expected.

“We are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get.

“We expect that tonight, tomorrow we will know exactly.”

Rodri has travelled to Spain to see a specialist following initial tests in Manchester.

Guardiola has described the 28-year-old as “irreplaceable” – City have not last in the last 48 Premier League matches in which he has started – but the manager says he will find a solution in his absence.

City were beaten in four out of the five games Rodri missed last season, while he has lost just once in 50 appearances all competitions.

He was also named player of the tournament as Spain won Euro 2024 in July and is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or next month – given to the world’s best player.

A week ago the former Atletico Madrid player, who played 63 times for City and Spain last season, claimed players are “close to” striking over an increase in the number of games in the calendar, including an expanded Champions League and Club World Cup.

Guardiola said the club are still waiting for doctors to confirm the severity of the knee injury sustained by the Spain international, and expect to find out by Wednesday.

“Still we don’t have the definitive [diagnosis] but he will be out for a long time – a while,” Guardiola said after City’s League Cup win over Watford.

“But there are some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expected.”

Speaking to the BBC, Guardiola added: “One doctor says big, big injury, one not as much.”

Rodri was substituted in the 21st minute during City’s 2-2 Premier League draw against Arsenal on Sunday after injuring his right knee.

The 28-year-old appeared to twist the joint in a collision with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey at a corner.

Rodri travelled to Spain on Monday for initial tests but further tests were required to discover the extent of the problem.

Guardiola said: “We are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get.

“We expect that tonight, tomorrow we will know exactly.”​​​​​​​

Named player of the tournament at Euro 2024 as he helped Spain lift the trophy, Rodri played a key role in helping City win a fourth consecutive Premier League title last season.

He has lost just one match for club or country in the past 18 months, also winning the Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup with City last season.

Since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, City have lost just 11% of the matches in which Rodri has featured, compared with 24% without the Spaniard.

“When a team doesn’t play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time, it is a big blow,” said Guardiola.

“Yes, he’s irreplaceable. But I will find a solution. There is an alternative, we will do it. When you have one player who is irreplaceable, as a team we have to find a solution.”

This month Rodri said winning the Ballon d’Or – awarded to the world’s best player – would be “a dream”.

He played 63 times for City and Spain last season, and after missing the start of this campaign with a hamstring injury returned against Brentford two weeks ago.

Rodri claimed players are “close to” striking over an increase in the number of games in the calendar, with a new Champions League format adding at least two extra matches before the knockout stage, and the Club World Cup expanding to 32 teams.

The Spain international went down writhing in pain and clutching his knee one minute before Riccardo Calafiori’s stunning strike levelled the match.

Guardiola had to call upon Mateo Kovacic from the bench after Rodri appeared to twist his knee in a tangle with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey at a corner.

“I don’t know yet, I didn’t ask the doctors,” said Guardiola. “Rodri is strong. He leaves the pitch in this action because he felt something, otherwise Rodri stays there.

“He’s the best holding midfielder in the world, he is a potential Ballon d’Or winner, I would love for him to win.

“But it happened in the first minutes. These games with Arsenal are like that and we have to handle it. We did it. We did really good things.”

‘With Rodri it may have been different’

Since signing Rodri in 2019, City have won 74% and lost 11% of games when he plays, compared to 64% wins and 24% losses when he misses out.

Guardiola thinks the result “may have been different” had Rodri stayed on the pitch, with defender Ruben Dias then often taking up the position of the central midfielder.

Dias had 136 touches in the match, with many of them coming on the edge of the Arsenal box, which may not have been what Guardiola had in mind at the start of the evening.

Mikel Arteta’s side conceded just 29 goals in the Premier League last season and the Gunners pride themselves on their wall at the back.

With Leandro Trossard shown a second yellow card just before half-time, Arsenal set out to defend their 2-1 lead with everything they had in the second period.

“The space is not there in the team, they equalise the team. Kova [Kovacic] and Ruben [Dias] is destined for the shot,” said Guardiola.

“With Rodri it may have been different or maybe I put Ruben on the right. That’s why I delayed the sub for Kyle [Walker], but Kyle has a really good shot and crosses.

“Grealish created space. Raya made two, three or four saves [and] the second ball was not with us. It’s difficult.

“Congratulations to Arsenal, to be so strong mentally to block, it’s not easy but at the same time we were not easy to do it.”

City face Inter Milan on Wednesday in the Champions League, with a new format adding at least two extra games before the knockout stage.

The Club World Cup – which Pep Guardiola’s side are also involved in – has also expanded to 32 teams and will be held next summer.

“I think we are close to that,” said Rodri when asked whether players will strike.

“It’s easy to understand something general, you ask any player, he will say the same.

“If it keeps this way, it will be a moment that we have no other option, but let’s see.”

The new Champions League and Club World Cup formats mean City will play at least four extra matches compared to last season’s guaranteed fixtures.

They played just two games to win the Club World Cup in December, but next summer would need to play three group games and four knockout matches if they were to go all the way.

Across the past two full seasons, City played 120 times across all competitions.

Fifpro – the union for the top European league and global players – recently described legal action against Fifa for its increased game schedule as “inevitable”, something the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) backed.

Spain midfielder Rodri featured 63 times for club and country last season, on the way to winning the Premier League and European Championship within the space of two months.

He missed City’s first three matches of the season and returned for their 2-1 win over Brentford over Saturday, six days after playing for Spain in their 4-1 win over Switzerland in the Uefa Nations League.

After such a long 2023-24 season – which started competitively on August 6, 2023 and ended 343 days later, on 14 July – Rodri said he needed a longer break than he was initially given.

“It was great for my legs, great for me, I had one month and I [still] needed to recover a bit – so two months to stop a bit and prepare myself,” Rodri explained.

“It is even more important nowadays. It helps me a lot. When they start pre-season I watch them but try to disconnect, and the mental health – in that sense – is important, to refresh and move on.”

Players and managers speaking out

Rodri’s comments come less than 24 hours after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson spoke out against the changes in schedule.

City defender Manuel Akanji recently suggested that because of the increased schedule, he would have to retire when he is 30 due to the lack of breaks during the season.

And Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said that the club are considering giving their players holidays during the season in order to combat the increase in fixtures.

Fifpro and PFA among those to take action

In July, Fifpro said it would take legal action against Fifa over its “abuse of dominance” in football.

Fifpro’s statement read: “Fifa’s decisions over the last years have repeatedly favoured its own competitions and commercial interests, neglected its responsibilities as a governing body, and harmed the economic interests of national leagues and the welfare of players.

“Legal action is now the only responsible step for European leagues and player unions to protect football, its ecosystem and its workforce.”

Those sentiments are echoed by the PFA who, in May, said players were at breaking point.

“Legal action is the unfortunate but inevitable consequence of major stakeholders within the game – the leagues and the players – being ignored,” said chief executive Maheta Molango.

“As always, it’s the players who are expected to bend. As we have seen, eventually they will break. It has to stop.”

How likely is a player’s strike?

Rodri has suggested a player’s strike could be “close” but, in reality, will one actually take place?

A spokesperson from the PFA has suggested that, should players not be listened to, they will “begin to consider all options available to them”.

“In recent weeks our members have made their feelings very clear when it comes to the fixture calendar and player workload.

“Players are repeatedly saying that enough is enough, and this must now act as a serious wake-up call to the authorities.”

Speaking last week on the schedule, La Liga president Javier Tebas said that while the schedule has increased for players, not enough are effected by the changes to warrant such backlash.

“We always think of 150 or 200 players who play all the games. But in Europe, there are more than 50,000 players who don’t play all those games and don’t have the problem of the match load,” Tebas told BBC Sport.

“Football cannot be governed by what happens to 250 players, but by the rest because, in addition, all these new tournaments would economically empty the national leagues and impact the salaries of other players with fewer club revenues.”

While there is little precedent for players striking in elite sport, in 1961, Jimmy Hill campaigned for the end to the maximum wage cap for footballers. After threatening strike action, the then £20-a-week maximum wage was scrapped by the Football Association.

Bellingham is hoping his sensational debut season at the Bernabeu will help him upgrade the Kopa Trophy he won at last year’s ceremony for the best player under the age of 21.

A free-scoring start to life in Spain saw him twice find the net with stoppage-time El Clasico winners and a Euro 2024 victory with England would have surely guaranteed him the Ballon d’Or.

Bellingham rescued England with a stunning overhead kick to avoid elimination against Slovakia in the last-16 – but, despite reaching the final, he was unable to prevent his nation falling to defeat against Spain.

However, with Vinicius scoring a hat-trick in the final of the Spanish Super Cup and starring in Real’s Champions League triumph, he may have the edge.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri is also one of the favourites on the list of nominees after being named ‘Player of the Tournament’ as Spain won Euro 2024, while his club side defended its Premier League title.

Rodri’s club teammate Erling Haaland is among the nominees after scoring 38 goals for City last season, while Phil Foden and Ruben Dias have also been given the nod.

England’s Euro 2024 runners-up are well represented, with Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer all included.

It is the most England internationals ever to be nominated for the award, with one more nomination than the five listed in 2005.

Granit Xhaka played a pivotal role in Bayer Leverkusen’s phenomenal double-winning season and he has been rewarded with a place on the list.

Barcelona and Spain teenage sensation Lamine Yamal (17) has become the youngest player ever to be nominated for the award.

That record was previously held by Kylian Mbappe, who has also been included on this year’s list.

Yamal is also on the shortlist for the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best player under the age of 21.

For the first time since 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have not been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

Ballon d’Or Nominations 2024

• Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid
• Ruben Dias – Manchester City
• Phil Foden – Manchester City
• Federico Valverde – Real Madrid
• Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
• Erling Haaland – Manchester City
• Nico Williams – Athletic Bilbao
• Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen
• Artem Dovbyk – AS Roma
• Toni Kroos – Real Madrid (retired)
• Vinicius Jr. – Real Madrid
• Dani Olmo – Barcelona
• Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen
• Martin Odegaard – Arsenal
• Mats Hummels – Borussia Dortmund
• Rodri – Manchester City
• Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
• Declan Rice – Arsenal
• Vitinha – Paris Saint-Germain
• Cole Palmer – Chelsea
• Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid
• Lamine Yamal – Barcelona
• Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
• Hakan Calhanoglu – Inter Milan
• William Saliba – Arsenal
• Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid
• Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan
• Ademola Lookman – Atalanta
• Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid
• Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) made an official complaint about the celebrations to European football’s governing body before the pair were charged.

Uefa has now suspended Morata and Rodri “for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football, and Uefa in particular, into disrepute”.

They are banned for Spain’s next game, which is against Serbia on Thursday, 5 September.

Gibraltar is an enclave at Spain’s southern tip that has been under British rule since the 18th century, and Spain has long called for its return.

The chanting took place in front of tens of thousands of Spain fans in Cibeles Square, Madrid on 15 July as players celebrated their 2-1 Euro 2024 final victory over England.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, 28, could be seen chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” on the stage, and AC Milan striker Morata, 31, later encouraged the crowd to join in with the same chant.

The Gibraltar FA complained about Spain’s behaviour, saying it had “noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations around the Spanish men’s national team winning Euro 2024”.

“Football has no place for behaviour of this nature,” it added.

Gibraltar has been a full member of Uefa since 2013.

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) made an official complaint about the celebrations to Uefa and European football’s governing body appointed a disciplinary inspector to “evaluate a potential violation of the Uefa disciplinary regulations”.

Morata and Rodri have now been charged with “general principles of conduct, violating the basic rules of decent conduct, using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature, and bringing the sport of football, and Uefa in particular, into disrepute”.

Uefa’s control, ethics and disciplinary body (CEDB) will make a decision on the issue “in due course”.

Gibraltar is an enclave at Spain’s southern tip that has been under British rule since the 18th Century, and Spain has long called for its return.

The chanting took place in front of tens of thousands of Spain fans in Cibeles Square, Madrid on 15 July as players celebrated their 2-1 Euro 2024 final success against England.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, 28, could be seen chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” on the stage, and AC Milan striker Morata, 31, later encouraged the crowd to join in with the same chant.

The Gibraltar FA complained about Spain’s behaviour, saying it had “noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations around the Spanish Men’s national team winning Euro 2024”.

“Football has no place for behaviour of this nature,” it added.

Gibraltar has been a full member of Uefa since 2013.

The 27-year-old made his 41st appearance of the campaign in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg draw against Real Madrid.

That was the third of eight games across three competitions the club will play in April.

“I do need a rest,” said the Spain international.

“Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is.

“I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yes.”

The thrilling 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu made it 429 days and 66 games since Rodri lost a game playing for City in any competition.

The former Atletico Madrid midfielder has played 3,497 minutes this season – the 23rd most of any player from Europe’s top leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.

But only three players have made more starts and two of those are goalkeepers.

Rodri has missed four domestic games through suspension this season, with City losing all four.

Pep Guardiola’s side face Luton in the Premier League on Saturday before the return leg with Real Madrid on 17 April.

They then face Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final and have Premier League trips to Brighton and Nottingham Forest before the end of the month.

Speaking last week, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said players are struggling to perform at consistent levels because they are being “overloaded”, citing City’s performance in their goalless draw against Arsenal compared to their 3-1 win over the Red Devils in March.

Ten Hag said: “You see the levels dropping with them [Manchester City] again, it was a different team to when we faced them. The levels with teams will drop at any moment if we keep going in this process by overloading the international programme.”

Global players’ union Fifpro has said football needs to do more to protect against “dangerous levels of fixture congestion”.

Meanwhile, world governing body Fifa is expanding its Club World Cup competition, and Uefa is increasing the size of Europe’s Champions League from next season.

City’s 3-1 win over Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on Sunday means the 27-year-old is now on the longest unbeaten run in all competitions of any Premier League player past or present.

“It is difficult to understand what we have done in recent years without him. It would’ve been difficult,” City boss Pep Guardiola told the club’s website last month.

The run surpasses that of former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho (58 games), with Rodri’s last loss in a City shirt coming against Tottenham in February 2023 – although it does include City’s defeat on penalties by Arsenal in the Community Shield.

In that time City have won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup along with the Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup, while Rodri was also part of the Spain team that won the Nations League.

The holding midfielder signed from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for £62.5m in the hope that he would eventually step into the boots of former captain Fernandinho.

Like his predecessor, Rodri’s role at City is one that tends to fly under the radar, with the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne taking the headlines. But according to players, pundits and his manager along with the stats, his significance in City’s exploits in recent years cannot be overstated.

‘What can’t this guy do?’

Pep Guardiola says Rodri is “unbelievable” and “the best midfield player, currently, in the world by far”.

A humble guy with no social media who studied for a business degree while also assisting City to their fifth Premier League title in 2021 – his second with the club – Rodri does not often receive the plaudits.

“He’s the one who allows your De Bruyne’s, Phil Foden’s and Bernardo Silva’s to do what they do because he’s so good,” said former City forward Paul Dickov on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Guardiola said the holding midfielder should “never, ever be in the highlights” and “do the job he has to do”.

“The highlights have to belong to other people. The holding midfielder has to think for the rest of the team and do not expect the recognition. But internally? All team-mates and staff, they all know how important and decisive he is. Massively important for us,” the City boss added.

But it is the compliments he receives from his peers which provide the bigger picture.

“It is just a joy to share a football pitch with him,” said Luton captain Tom Lockyer on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“You don’t say that about a lot of players but he was certainly one of them where you come off the pitch and you go ‘wow’. When you’re on a pitch with him you’re just thinking ‘what can’t this guy do?’

“He’s just a Rolls Royce. When you thought you had him pressed and were going to nick the ball, you weren’t, he was just teasing you in so the person who got next pass had more time on the ball. Those are the sort of games he plays. It is very rare he gets caught on the ball and he just dictates everything that Manchester City do.”

When it comes to individual awards, there are City players more likely to win them. But for the big moments on the pitch, he is as prolific as any of them.

It was perhaps fitting, then, that it was Rodri who struck the only goal against Inter Milan in Turkey last year to win Manchester City a first Champions League title and complete a historic Treble.

“With him, we are a better team,” said Guardiola. “No doubt.”

Rodri leads the passing stats

Manchester City are famed for their passing football under Guardiola, the masters of dominating possession.

At the heart of that is Rodri, with the Spaniard topping the charts for most passes attempted and completed by any midfielder across all competitions since his unbeaten run began.

He has the most successful passes per 90 minutes in Europe’s big-five leagues this season and in recent seasons has started to add goals and assists, with seven goals and six assists for City this season.

City’s record when Rodri is not in the team speaks volumes, too.

When he was suspended after receiving a red card against Nottingham Forest earlier this season, Guardiola’s side lost all three games without him – at Newcastle, Wolves and Arsenal.

“Everything City do in the build-up starts from Ederson but Rodri is involved at some stage, whether it’s getting it off the back four or pushing up a little bit,” said Dickov.

“The biggest compliment to him is how important his teammates think he is. He puts fires out left, right and centre when City don’t have the ball but when he does he’s just phenomenal.”

City still lost ground in the title race after seeing Liverpool and Arsenal both post emphatic wins earlier on Saturday, but this has to go down as a point gained given how close they came to defeat.

Raheem Sterling had given Chelsea the lead just before half-time, finishing off a brilliant counter-attack by meeting Nicolas Jackson’s cross, cutting inside Kyle Walker and curling his shot home.

The visitors looked threatening on the break all game, with Jackson earlier spurning an even better chance from Malo Gusto’s cross when a heavy touch allowed Ederson to smother his shot, and City’s keeper also denied Sterling a second from point-blank range.

City were racking up the chances too, but seemed unable to take any of them, or even seriously test Chelsea goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic despite piling on the pressure in the second half.

Erling Haaland was the main culprit, with his worst miss coming when he somehow headed wide from a delicious Kevin de Bruyne cross.

The defending champions were facing their first home league defeat since November 2022, until Rodri struck with seven minutes to go.

After Walker’s shot was deflected into his path on the edge of the box, Rodri fired in a ferocious first-time strike that was going in anyway but took a touch off Chelsea substitute Trevoh Chalobah on its way into the net.

The draw sees City drop to third in the table, four points behind leaders Liverpool but with a game in hand – they can close the gap, and leapfrog second-placed Arsenal, if they beat Brentford here on Tuesday.

Chelsea, who were minutes away from a third successive away win, stay 10th, but head to Wembley for next weekend’s Carabao Cup final on the back of one of their best displays of an erratic campaign.

City were cruising at the break thanks to early goals by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland but the game changed dramatically only 27 seconds after the restart.

Rodri was shown a straight red for violent conduct after putting his hands around Morgan Gibbs-White’s throat as they tangled near the corner flag, with VAR upholding referee Anthony Taylor’s decision.

Forest had been outplayed until that point, with City slicing them open with sparkling attacks down the right to score both their goals inside the first 15 minutes.

Kyle Walker set up Foden to fire home City’s opener with a fine first-time finish, before Matheus Nunes crossed from the same flank for an unmarked Haaland to head home.

The second half was a different story, however, with City having to dig in to protect their lead – and they mostly succeeded in keeping Forest at arms’ length.

Clear chances for the visitors remained few and far between, with Orel Mangala scooping one shot over and Taiwo Awoniyi off target from close range, before Ederson denied Anthony Elanga late on.

Tempers continued to boil over in the closing minutes, with City manager Pep Guardiola and the home fans unhappy with more of Taylor’s decisions, but City still held out to make it six wins out of six.

With the rest of the top four playing on Sunday the defending champions are now five points clear at the top of the table.

Jayden Bogle thought he had earned the Blades a point with a drilled equaliser after 85 minutes, but Spain midfielder Rodri blasted into the top left corner three minutes later to give City the win.

Erling Haaland missed a first-half penalty before heading the opener from Jack Grealish’s cross after the break.

Although he was absent from the touchline, recovering from back surgery, the win was Pep Guardiola’s 200th of his City reign on Premier League duty.

It also marked the first time City have won the first three games of a campaign since the Spaniard’s first season as manager in 2016-17.

City beat Inter Milan 1-0 to win a first European title, adding to the Premier League and FA Cup trophies they had already clinched this season.

Rodri’s 68th-minute strike was just his second Champions League goal.

“It’s emotional. A dream come true. All these guys around here waited I don’t know how many years,” he told BT Sport.

“They deserve it, we deserve it. The last years we were so close. I just want to thank everyone. It wasn’t easy. What a team we faced, the way they defend and counter-attack.

“We gave everything. Finals are like this. You can’t expect to play as well as always. Emotions and nerves are there. We competed like animals. It’s a dream. This moment will never happen again.”

Manchester City were appearing in their second Champions League final in three seasons, having lost to Chelsea in 2021.

They become just the second English men’s team to win the Treble, following in the footsteps of city rivals Manchester United who achieved the feat in 1999.

‘My dream is in your hands’

Kyle Walker came on as a substitute late in the second half

Guardiola’s biggest decision before the match was to leave England defender Kyle Walker out of the starting XI.

Walker had started City’s past seven matches, including the FA Cup final victory over Manchester United and both legs of the Champions League semi-final win over Real Madrid.

“I’m always going to be disappointed when I’m not playing but I’m 33. My example [is important for] the younger lads,” Walker told BT Sport.

“I made a speech before they went out. I said ‘my dream is in your hands, no pressure’. This club means so much to me. To experience what I’ve experienced, I’m forever in debt.

“I’m over the moon. I’m rarely speechless. My dream has come true, to achieve this with this club. To achieve a Treble is unbelievable.

“My mum and dad are in the stands. From where I come from in Sheffield it’s not easy. I remember when my mum didn’t have a pound for the ice cream van. To have this with them, I’m so thankful.”

England international Jack Grealish, who joined City from Aston Villa for a British record £100m in 2021, was in tears at full-time.

“This is what you work your whole life for. I’m so happy. I was awful [in the final] but I don’t care. To win the Treble with this group of players is so special,” Grealish told BT Sport.

“Everyone who knows me knows how much I love football and this is what I have worked for my whole life. Seeing my family in the crowd makes me so emotional.

“I just said to the manager ‘I want to thank you’. He has put so much faith in me. He is a genius.”

Mikel Arteta was absent as he was isolating due to his second confirmed case of coronavirus, and was replaced as dugout leader by assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg. Arteta was in contact via telephone for the match, but the difference did not appear to unsettle his side.

City started brighter with both Gabriel Jesus and Ruben Dias going close with headers early in the first half, but Kieran Tierney, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka were threatening down both flanks, with the latter breaking the deadlock.

The Scottish left-back teed up the England international to sweep his side into the lead, and they continued to look dangerous.

In the second half, Granit Xhaka gave away a soft penalty on Bernardo Silva, duly converted by Riyad Mahrez. A minute later, Martinelli blasted wide, seconds before defender Gabriel saw red for a foul on Jesus.

With the game seemingly drifting to a draw, Rodri popped up at the death to poke home a winner after Arsenal failed to clear a Kevin De Bruyne pass.

The result moved City 11 points clear of Chelsea in second behind them, while Arsenal remain in fourth, four points clear of West Ham.