Rodri injury update: What back surgery means for Man City season and Real Madrid transfer

Rodri injury update: What back surgery means for Man City season and Real Madrid transfer originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The last two years have been a whirlwind for Man City midfielder Rodri.

Following his Ballon d’Or win in 2024, the first for a midfielder since Luka Modric in 2018, he suffered a torn ACL that kept him out for nearly a year. Even after returning from his knee injury, it took quite a while to get back to his best.

Now 30 years old, he finally looked like a world-class player again this summer at the World Cup, leading Spain to the title while winning the Golden Ball. However, he has been struck down again by a serious injury and could miss significant time.

The Sporting News explains what we know about Rodri’s back injury, which at this point isn’t much, while discussing what effect it could have on a potential move to Real Madrid.

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Rodri injury news, update

According to multiple reports, including from The Athletic and The Guardian, Rodri is set to undergo back surgery ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

Not much else is known about the injury at this point, but it comes at an awkward time for Manchester City. Rodri has only just led Spain to a World Cup title, during which he won the Golden Ball. At no point during the World Cup was it suggested that Rodri may be playing with or carrying an injury.

On the contrary, Rodri’s exceptional performance at the tournament seemed to suggest that he was finally back to his best after needing a year to return to form following an ACL injury which kept him out a long time.

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What is Rodri’s injury?

It’s unclear exactly what injury Rodri has picked up that requires back surgery.

No mention of the specific injury, or how it was acquired, has been made in any reporting of his impending surgery.

How long is Rodri out?

It’s not yet known what the timeline for Rodri’s return will be, but back surgery often requires a lengthy recovery.

It’s believed that he could need multiple months before returning to the pitch.

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Will back injury stop Rodri going to Real Madrid?

Injuries, even minor ones, can often stand in the way of a transfer.

Clubs are often quite shy about making moves for injured players, as they do not have full access to the medical records of players on other teams, and the risk of spending millions on a player who could be carrying a fitness concern is often far too high for such transactions.

Yet interestingly, reporting has not slowed on the interest between Rodri and Real Madrid. This could mean a few different things, reading between the lines.

First, it could be that Man City have provided Real Madrid with enough medical information to ease their fears. Second, it could mean the injury is not as significant as reported and is not enough to spook the Spanish side. Third, it could mean that most of the sourcing for the transfer reporting is coming from the player camp and the club are not actually interested in making a deal.

What Man City games will Rodri miss?

Without any kind of timeline for Rodri’s return, it’s not clear how many games he will miss for Manchester City after needing back surgery.

However, games at the front end of Man City’s 2026/27 schedule are almost surely at risk.

They will begin the season with the Community Shield against Arsenal on August 16, before opening their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth on August 23.

The first Manchester derby against Manchester United at home will come early, on September 13, and that game is also very unlikely for Rodri to feature. Their league match against Liverpool at Anfield on October 10 could be at risk as well.

Rodri will also likely, and unfortunately, miss Spain’s late September/early October Nations League matches against England, Croatia, Czechia and Croatia again. It’s a shame that Rodri will not be able to feature for his national side in their first matches at home (against Croatia and Czechia) for their fans to welcome him back after World Cup success, although he still may be on hand to be received and appreciated by fans even if he’s not there to play the games.