There’s just one week to go before Man City get the chance to defend their Premier League title once more.

It’s a foregone conclusion that Pep Guardiola will once again stop at nothing to ensure that his team are at the races from the first whistle of the first match in 2024/25.

That kind of relentless pursuit of perfection is arguably the key to the Cityzen’s unbelievable success over the past few years.

Man City ace could move to Real Madrid

The Catalan coach is very demanding of his players but also of himself, and if things can be improved even just a tiny bit, they will be.

One player that is instrumental in how Man City play the game is Rodri Hernandez, a pivot in Guardiola’s own image.

Much more physical and stronger than his manager was in his heyday, if Rodri plays well then so do City.

However, trouble could be brewing for the Premier League champions.

That’s because the midfielder is on Real Madrid’s list of potential candidates for the future according to CaughtOffside sources, and he has attracted Los Blancos attention with his outstanding performances in recent seasons.

With Toni Kroos leaving Real Madrid, it’s said that Rodri could take on a role at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2025, joining the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vini Jr. et al.

If Pep Guardiola leaves at the end of the season the exit door will open for Rodri even though his contract with Man City has been extended until June 30, 2027, putting the club in an advantageous position.

Dani Carvajal’s recent mention of Rodri’s possible signing for Los Blancos is also creating excitement in this regard.

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Rodri’s future is still uncertain of course, but if Guardiola moves on his transfer to Real Madrid could come closer.

The Spanish giants expect to make another big signing in 2025, but the situation could change should Carlo Ancelotti also leave his managerial post.

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UEFA have handed down sanctions to Manchester City midfielder Rodri and new AC Milan singing Alvaro Morata for their offensive chants regarding Gibraltar following Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.

The two of them played a key role in Spain winning the Euros. The fantastic tournament saw them go unbeaten, with 100% record as they won all 7 of their games. In fact, Rodri was named the tournament’s best player.

Rodri and Morata’s controversial celebrations

The celebrations took a controversial turn when Morata, the team captain, and Rodri took the mic to chant about Gibraltar during a public celebration in Spain.

The chant, “Gibraltar is Spanish,” referenced Spain’s long-standing territorial claim over the enclave at the southern tip of Spain, which has been under British rule since the 18th century.

This issue has been a point of contention between Spain and the UK.

The Gibraltar FA expressed their fury over the chants and lodged a complaint with UEFA, describing them as offensive.

UEFA have now imposed a one-game ban on both players. This sanction means they will miss Spain’s next match against Serbia in the Nations League on 5th September.

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Official Statement from UEFA

In their official statement, UEFA explained the suspension, stating that Rodri and Morata were penalised “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.”

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With the 2023/24 season concluded the football world has begun debating over who should be crowned the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner and Pep Guardiola has tipped “brutal” star to win the most coveted individual prize in the sport. 

Ahead of the prize ceremony in October, there are several names in contention for the award, with this year very likely to crown a first-time winner following Lionel Messi’s decision to move to MLS to play for Inter Miami last summer.

Real Madrid trio Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are considered the favourites for the prize, however, many would love to see Man City’s Rodri as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.

The midfielder has been the best number six in the world for many years and once again played a big role in Man City retaining the Premier League title. In addition to this, the 28-year-old had a memorable summer as Spain went all the way at Euro 2024 in Germany beating England 2-1 in the final.

Rodri was instrumental in the Spaniards’ success and following that triumph, many fans and pundits have called for the City star to win the Ballon d’Or.

One man who would be delighted to see this happen is his Man City manager, Pep Guardiola.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola would love to see “brutal” Rodri win the 2024 Ballon d’Or

Speaking ahead of Man City’s pre-season clash with Celtic on Tuesday, Guardiola addressed Rodri’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or this year.

“I can’t deny how happy I would be if Rodri could get the Ballon d’Or,” the Spanish coach said via Fabrizio Romano.“His consistency is just brutal.

“Being in the race, being nominated, or winning the Ballon d’Or is fantastic.”

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Rodri faces a tough task to win the prize as it is an award not usually given out to midfielders.

Luka Modric was the last one to achieve it back in 2018, however, 2024 is different as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are unlikely to be in contention.

It would be an incredible achievement if the Man City star was crowned as the Ballon d’Or winner as the Spaniard has been remarkably consistent over the last few years.

The post “I can’t deny how happy I would be” – Pep Guardiola tips “brutal” star for 2024 Ballon d’Or appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The Gibraltar Football Association have posted an official statement about their intention of launching a complaint over the offensive chanting of Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.

Rodri has stirred controversy by chanting about Gibraltar being Spanish during his country’s Euro 2024 celebrations, with even one of his teammates Alvaro Morata seeming to suggest he’d be wise to stop…

Rodri chanted “Gibraltar is Spanish!” during Spain’s EURO 2024 trophy parade before being interrupted by Alvaro Morata ??? pic.twitter.com/Xp6Se976PW

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) July 16, 2024

It seems Gibraltar are not at all happy with Rodri’s chanting, with the British overseas territory having some close relations with Spain, but having been British since 1713, and voting against Spanish sovereignty in a referendum in 1967, and for shared sovereignty in another referendum in 2002.

It is not too surprising, therefore, to see Rodri’s chant go down badly, with the Gibraltar FA posting the statement below:

The Gibraltar FA to make official complaint to UEFA following Spanish Men’s National Team Euro 2024 celebrationshttps://t.co/GWKGrPrlhM

— Gibraltar FA (@GibraltarFA) July 16, 2024

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There’s much to admire about this Spain team, who won all seven games at Euro 2024 to go on and lift the trophy for a record-breaking fourth time.

However, there is clearly no need for overly political celebrations like this, so Rodri would do well to apologise for his behaviour and learn from it.

Spain beat England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday thanks to goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal.

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Euro 2024 is over, and now UEFA have released their official team of the tournament as winning finalists Spain unsurprisingly dominate, with Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella among the names in the line up.

Cucurella was a big success story at these Euros, as he’d struggled to show his best form in a Chelsea shirt prior to this competition, looking like he could be a major weak link in Luis de la Fuente’s side.

Instead, the Blues ace shone for his country and played a key role in them winning the trophy, and he’s joined by fellow Spain stars Nico Williams, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo and 17-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

See below for the XI in full, which contains just one England player as Kyle Walker got the nod at right-back…

Other notable names in there are Arsenal and France centre-back William Saliba, and Bayern Munich and Germany youngster Jamal Musiala, who will surely be shining at more major international tournaments in years to come.

Spain were deserved winners this time, though, so it’s no surprise to see six of their players making this line up, and some will even feel there was room for one or two more.

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England may have reached the final, but there weren’t too many players who covered themselves in glory in Germany, with even Walker’s place arguably being slightly contentious.

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Manchester City midfielder Rodri has tipped Cole Palmer to become a ‘huge star’ following Sunday’s Euro 2024 final. 

Rodri lasted just 45 minutes of the final in Berlin but had the last laugh as Spain beat England 2-1 to win their record fourth European Championship crown.

La Roja dominated for large portions of the match but found themselves pegged back in the 73rd minute as England substitute Palmer levelled the scores with an excellent effort from distance — cancelling out Nico Williams’ opener.

However, full-back Marc Cucurella was able to pick out Mikel Oyarzabal in the England box just 13 minutes later, with the Real Sociedad forward making no mistake with his finish.

Nevertheless, Palmer more than made his presence felt from the bench, adding one chance created, a 100% dribble success rate and two passes into the final third to his goal despite being on the pitch for just 30 minutes.

That follows on from a stunning debut season at Chelsea after his move south from Manchester City, with Palmer — whose goal made him the youngest-ever substitute to score in a men’s European Championship final — notching 25 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions.

Rodri is in no doubt about his former teammate’s talent and potential for the future.

“I know these guys, Cole Palmer is a top player. He’s going to be a huge star in the next years,” Rodri told ITV after the match (via BBC Sport).

Of course, Rodri was also quick to predict big things for the young Spanish side that lit up Euro 2024.

“Imagine what we have next,” he added. “We are so happy. We made history but it doesn’t stop here. We have talent and we’ll keep going. It’s important to celebrate what we have done.”

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Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been named the player of the tournament after Spain was crowned champions on Sunday night.

After an incredible run which saw them go all the way to the final undefeated, La Roja have undoubtedly been the best team in the competition as they now reign as European champions after beating England 2-1 in Berlin.

Unsurprisingly it was Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal who were stars of the show with the two combining for the opener just after the break.

The Three Lions were able to claw their way back into the contest courtesy of a spectacular finish from substitute Cole Palmer but it wasn’t enough as Mikel Oyarzabal broke English hearts minutes from full-time.

Despite coming off injured at half-time, midfielder Rodri was named the player of the tournament as the Manchester City man has thrust himself into contention for the Ballon d’Or.

Best Player of the Tournament: Rodri. pic.twitter.com/QgZ6kpg5lR

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2024

Since the start of 2023, Rodri has lifted twice as many trophies (8) as he has lost games (4) for club and country.

◉ 2x Premier League
◉ 1x FA Cup
◉ 1x Champions League
◉ 1x Super Cup
◉ 1x Club World Cup
◉ 1x Nations League
◉ 1x European Championship

◉ 22/23 UCL Final… pic.twitter.com/0a2F3W89Aw

— Squawka (@Squawka) July 14, 2024

Barcelona’s 17-year-old sensation Yamal was also given the award for the young player of the tournament although could have easily rivalled Rodri.

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Spain have been dealt a huge blow with Manchester City star Rodri forced off with injury at half time with Matin Zubimendi replacing him.

Rodri has been a talisman for Spain and not having him in the second half could be a huge blow, and hand England a possible advantage.

The first half was cagey with not many opportunities and neither side took too many risks with Phil Foden going closest, whilst Spain dominated possession.

The options from the bench could make a big difference if the game is still level heading into the latter stages with England possessing a number of match winning options including Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins.

England are looking to end their 58-year wait for international success, and a win would also see them win their first tournament on foreign soil, whilst Spain are looking for a major trophy since 2012, but they will have to do it without Rodri.

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A big change at half-time for Spain ??

Zubimendi ? Rodri#ESPENG | #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/y39AnhWpmn

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 14, 2024

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Kyle Walker believes Manchester City teammate Rodri has weaknesses that England can ‘exploit’ in their Euro 2024 final clash with Spain.

The Three Lions take on La Roja in Berlin on Sunday in their second consecutive European Championship final, looking to win the trophy for the first time.

Gareth Southgate’s men haven’t found their best form in Germany and have relied more on spirit and determination to get to this point, although their most fluid performance came in Wednesday’s 2-1 semi-final win over the Netherlands.

Spain, on the other hand, are most people’s pick for best team at the tournament so far, winning all six of their games despite facing the likes of Italy, Croatia, Germany and France, while scoring more goals (13) than any other team.

One of the key areas England must focus on is stopping Manchester City star Rodri running the game from the base of midfield.

Unsurprisingly, the 28-year-old is first among Spanish players at Euro 2024 for passes completed (378) and touches (465), while he’s only been dispossessed twice throughout the entire tournament.

Rodri is also an expert in breaking up opposition attacks, registering more tackles (13) than any other Spanish player, while also posting a team-high 22 possessions won in the middle third.

Walker highlights Rodri ‘weaknesses’

Rodri’s role with Spain is little different to that he performs under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, conducting play and kick-starting attacks from a deep position with his precision passing and intelligence.

However, club teammate Kyle Walker — who is almost certain to start as part of a three-man centre-back line-up for England — has made the bold claim that he knows of weaknesses in Rodri’s game that the Three Lions can ‘exploit’.

“He’s a great player, and he controls the game and dictates the game at his own pace as I know at club level,” Walker told talkSPORT.

“But we’ve seen video clips [of him], I know him first and foremost, there’s weaknesses in everyone’s game. No one’s the perfect article.

“But we need to try and exploit those weaknesses as best as we can and get the players that we have in dangerous areas to go and make sure that they can go score the goals.

“And as a defence, we need to make sure we keep clean sheets.”

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Euro 2024 has been a fairly mixed bag of games, as might have been expected.

Spain have sailed through the tournament so far and look to be the favourites for most people ahead of the quarter-finals.

Notwithstanding that they’ll have to get past hosts, Germany, there are still some heavyweights left in the competition that might have something to say about whether it’s La Roja that lifts the trophy or not.

One team that has already exited the competition is Georgia, and CaughtOffside columnist, Stan Collymore, was hugely impressed with their – and Turkey’s – contribution.

Georgia playing with so much joy

“For me, the teams that have impressed me the most have been Georgia and Turkey. Georgia came into this tournament like ‘this is it, this is as good as it gets,’ and they’ve just gone for it. Turkey is a different animal because of the Turkish media,” he said for his exclusive column.

“You know it’s a big football in nation but they’ve always underachieved, just as England have underachieved.

“When I look at the talent that they’ve got… Demiral, Ayhan, Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz and Yilmaz – they have been superb. Getting the ball, turning with it, running with it, creating chances, sitting on the counter.

“Austria were very good overall and might have qualified on another day with a little bit more look. It was nice to see Marko Arnautovic back in the big time too.

“If I’m looking at other nations that you’re expecting to be there or thereabouts, you can’t really look much beyond Spain. Obviously the young lads, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are exceeding all expectations.

“The squad have stuck with the remit of the 2010/2012 Spanish team but with a bit more flair. A big shout out for Rodri too. When you look at players in the big leagues that are mentally and physically fatigued, this guy is managing his minutes extraordinarily well. He seems to play at 70% pace all the time, so you’ve never really seen him making long, bursting runs and his timing is great. He’s a very big man. He’s a very big, physically impressive athlete. And obviously he weighed in with a cracking goal against against Georgia.

“Ah yes, Georgia. Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia and their team-mates had been playing with so much joy, with so much happiness… unless someone wins the Euros by scoring a hat-trick in the final or something amazing, I think that a lot of people will be nodding in agreement that the attacking play of the Georgians at their very best has been great to watch.

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“It’s a festival, a celebration at the end of a European season, or at the end of a global season, where all of these amazing countries come together and entertain us in the sunshine.

“So for me, Georgia have been the team to watch at this season’s tournament.”

Turkey remain in the competition of course, and they’ll be hoping to spring a surprise and beat the Netherlands, thus setting up a semi-final with either Switzerland or England.

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