Rodri Ruled Out of Spain’s World Cup Qualifiers Due to Injury

Rodri will miss Spain’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia on October 10th and Bulgaria on October 14th.

The midfielder sustained a hamstring injury during Manchester City’s recent 1-0 victory over Brentford.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) released a statement confirming Rodri’s absence from the squad.

“Rodri is out of the squad due to injury,” the RFEF stated.

Prior to this setback, the 29-year-old was instrumental in Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign. However, he was also previously injured in the final against England. He also missed a significant portion of last season due to a serious knee injury.

Earlier, Rodri underwent surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, an injury he sustained along with meniscus damage during a Premier League match against Arsenal in September 2024.

After returning to play at the end of last season, Rodri had been working to regain his peak fitness, aiming to replicate the form that led to his Ballon d’Or win last year.

During City’s game against Brentford, he signaled discomfort in his hamstring and was subsequently replaced by Nico Gonzalez.

Following the incident, Rodrigo commented on his condition:

“I felt a slight issue in the hamstring, but it doesn’t seem too serious,” he remarked. “I stretched it a bit, similar to what I did in the Euro final. The good thing is it doesn’t seem to be anything major.”

Post-match, City manager Pep Guardiola indicated that Rodri would likely be sidelined for ‘two or three weeks’.

“Obviously, I don’t want to lose him, even for a short period, because he is such a crucial player. We have been trying to manage his workload, but these things happen,” Guardiola added.

As a reminder, the Spanish national team is scheduled to face Georgia on October 10th and Bulgaria on October 14th in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.