Rodri stepped up for Manchester City after their star attackers failed to produce in the Champions League final on Saturday. The goal that Rodri scored capped off a fantastic season for the Spain midfielder by establishing his club as the champions of Europe. Rodri scored the goal that made Manchester City the champions of Europe.
Rodri scored the only goal in a tense 1-0 victory over Inter Milan, who defied expectations by pushing City all the way to the finals. This strike brought Pep Guardiola and the Abu Dhabi-based owners of City one step closer to realizing their aspirations.
“I can’t help but become emotional because it’s like a dream come true. Rodri said to BT Sport, “All these guys (the fans) around here waiting 20, 30, 40 years.”
“I’ve only been here for four years, but I believe we have earned this. These last several years, we have been so close to winning, but when you get to the finals and semi-finals, eventually God gives you this present… It’s a dream come true for the whole group.”
The 26-year-old player scored the game-winning goal in his 52nd appearance of the season, which is a testament to how essential he is to Pep Guardiola’s City. He builds play with John Stones and typically paves the way for an outstanding offense to run amok.
But on Saturday, it was his moment to shine as Kevin De Bruyne was forced out of his second consecutive Champions League final with an injury, and the typically prolific Erling Haaland was limited to scraps by Inter’s well-drilled defense. However, it was his turn for the spotlight as he scored the game-winning goal.
Rodri was in the right location at the right moment when Bernardo Silva’s cutback was deflected off course, which allowed extra time to be a possibility despite the fact that extra time was already looking like a possibility.
He ran onto the ball and then calmly put his shot beyond Andre Onana with the composure that has defined his play in the middle of the field over the whole season.
It was also a way for him to make up for a subpar performance in the first half, during which he struggled to deal with the pressure that Inter put on him and was uncharacteristically clumsy in control of the ball.
“The first half was not a good showing for me. Rodri was honest enough to say, “I was playing shit.”
“This relates to the attitude; all I did was tell myself, ‘You have to get through this challenge,’ and in the end, I was successful in scoring a goal. Unbelievable.”
His fourth goal of the season across all competitions was barely enough to get City the win after Inter struck the post through Federico Dimarco and Romelu Lukaku missed a golden opportunity to equalize late in the game. His goal was City’s fourth in all competitions this season.
The 70-million-euro midfielder was a smaller figure in a star-studded club, but he was nonetheless a symbol of the financial might of a unit that concluded an almost flawless season by winning the treble. However, this time it was City and Rodri’s day after falling short against Chelsea two years earlier.
Rodri stated, “I think we made history,” after the team won the Premier League, the FA Cup, and now the Champions League.
“The fact that we desire more is a positive sign. This project is intended to want more and have a higher level of ambition.