As the current holder of the Ballon d’Or (an award for which Mo Salah has been tipped this year), Rodri has proven himself to be a footballer of elite quality, and he’s also demonstrated no little class away from the field of play.
There’s no question that Manchester City have badly missed the Spaniard this season, with the 28-year-old having been sidelined since September with an ACL injury and not due back before the end of the current campaign.
He’s been forced to watch on as Pep Guardiola’s side fall well short of winning a fifth successive Premier League title, and he could do nothing to prevent top-flight leaders Liverpool beating them 2-0 for the second time in three months on Sunday.
Rodri’s classy gesture to Liverpool players
Footage has now emerged showing Rodri sportingly congratulating a series of Reds players in the tunnel at the Etihad Stadium after the final whistle.
In the latest instalment of the Inside series on Liverpool FC’s official YouTube channel, the Man City midfielder is seen acknowleding Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker (among others) as they made their way back to the away dressing room after securing a well-deserved victory.
A commendable act from Rodri
The magnanimous gesture from Rodri was in stark contrast to Jeremy Doku bitterly insisting post-match that the Reds weren’t ‘much better than’ Guardiola’s team on Sunday. The home side might’ve bossed possession and the shot count, but in truth they barely laid a glove on the visitors.
We wouldn’t blame the Man City players for finding the result hard to stomach, particularly when they and Liverpool have had such a fierce rivalry over the past decade, but you learn a lot about one’s professionalism with how they conduct themselves in the face of adversity.
The Ballon d’Or winner was humble enough to set aside any personal dismay at seeing his team lose and offer some deserved congratulations to his opponents, something that not every top-level footballer would be capable of doing do soon after the final whistle.
The Manchester outfit will no doubt be a far stronger proposition next term once they have Rodri back in action, and even though he’s unable to influence matters on the pitch for another few months, he’s still proving himself to be a class act, as he showed on Sunday.
You can view Rodri congratulating the Liverpool players below (from 12:31), via Liverpool FC on YouTube:
