Rodri Ready to Play with Spain

Rodri, who delivered a heroic performance in the UEFA Champions League final, seems prepared to return and play with Spain in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday, just five days after leading Manchester City to complete the treble. Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente, stated, "We have not settled on a lineup for the semi-final match against Italy in Enschede yet, but Rodri is a strong candidate to play a role in the match." The midfielder scored the winning goal for Manchester City in the Champions League final against Inter Milan on Saturday, and while his teammates went off to celebrate, he joined the national team squad for the tournament taking place in the Netherlands. The Spain coach informed a press conference on Wednesday that Rodri is "excited after winning the Champions League and receiving the final's Man of the Match award; he has put Manchester City in the history books given the difficulty of winning the Champions League." Rodri joined the Spanish national team alongside his teammate Aymeric Laporte, who sat on the bench on Saturday, when City completed their treble after winning the Premier League and the FA Cup. De la Fuente said, "Rodri and Laporte are players with great professionalism; this duo is fully ready to play. They practiced away from the squad initially before joining the group. I have no doubts about their readiness should the team need them." Rodri, who will turn 27 next week, wore the captain's armband for Spain for the first time last March during a surprising loss to Scotland in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.