It’s the 68th minute of the Club World Cup Final. Manchester City, leading 2-0 over Fluminense, is in complete control of the game and on their way to win their fifth trophy of the year. But that didn’t mean that City didn’t face any challenges. In fact, a challenge in the 68th minute is precisely what left City’s midfield powerhouse Rodri, his team, and Cityzens all around worried. As Rodri admitted that he was “very close to crying” after the brutal tackle, his post-match interview ensured Pep Guardiola some breathing space.

As Fluminense’s Alexsander brought Rodri down with a ruthless challenge, the former was booked with a yellow card, and Rodri was subbed off. Ultimately, Manchester City conquered the world, netting four goals without reply. But as injury woes loomed over the Spanish midfielder, he was the bearer of good news after the game.

Rodri breaks silence on the horror tackle and injury woes

As Manchester City lifted yet another major trophy this year, Rodri spoke to Sky Sports about his experience in the Club World Cup win. From what he had to say, it seems like getting home safe after that tackle mattered more to the City midfielder than the title. “I was very lucky today, to be honest. It was one of the worst tackles they did in my career. It was so scary because I felt my knee,” Rodri said. He also revealed he couldn’t help but reprimand the 20-year-old youngster who fouled him. 

“Fortunately, it was nothing, and I told the player, ‘You cannot do these kind of actions.'” As much as this win would’ve meant to the Spaniard, he couldn’t help but look at the bigger picture. “Today, I won more than a trophy. I go home safe. To be honest, I was very close to crying because I was feeling very, very worried about what happened,” said Rodri. Considering the challenge felt as brutal as it looked, he also added that he’d expect to be fit within a few days, but the pain was yet to subside fully.

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The Man City midfielder made it clear that his eyes almost welled up thinking about a potential injury. If his injury was anything close to a serious one, Pep Guardiola & Co. would have received extremely concerning news despite such a sweet win, especially considering injuries have already done enough damage to the reigning Premier League Champions’ form.

Injuries have already been plaguing Manchester City

While Rodri himself has confirmed that the tackle caused no serious injury, the club is yet to receive a full report. It is uncertain if Rodri will lace up for City’s outing against Everton on December 27. Meanwhile, the club has not seen any action from their superstar midfielder Kevin De Bruyne since August. His hamstring injury has already marred the Manchester midfield. Recently, the club’s dependable attacker Jeremy Doku suffered muscle fatigue and has been ruled out ever since.

Erling Haaland & Kevin De Bruyne Are Not Manchester City’s Biggest Strength, Claims Fluminense Boss

Guardiola and Cityzens were handed a big shock when Erling Haaland contracted an ankle strain earlier this month. The superstar has missed seven matches since then but is expected to return soon. City would hope Rodri’s injury scares remain just those alone: scares. Considering how crucial the Spaniard is to City’s midfield, they’d want the player back in action soon.

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