Rodri to Undergo Back Surgery as Manchester City Begins New Era

Enzo Maresca’s first major act as Manchester City manager is not a signing, a tactical manifesto or a bold declaration of intent. It is confirming that the heartbeat of his midfield is heading for the operating table.

Rodri, fresh from lifting the World Cup with Spain and being crowned Golden Ball winner as the tournament’s standout player, will undergo surgery on a back problem on Monday. The news lands just days after the 30-year-old completed a triumphant summer on the international stage, a reminder of the physical toll that has shadowed his brilliance.

Maresca, speaking at his first news conference since taking charge at the Etihad, laid out the immediate plan with blunt clarity.

“Now, [he has] surgery on Monday. Then he needs a holiday, he needs to rest and recover and then he will be back with us,” the Italian said.

No timeline. No promises. Just a necessary reset for a player who has carried an enormous load for club and country.

Rodri’s recent club seasons have been anything but straightforward. An anterior cruciate ligament injury wrecked his 2024-25 campaign, keeping him out for the majority of the season. When he did return, further setbacks repeatedly interrupted his rhythm, leaving Manchester City without their on-field metronome for long stretches.

Yet on the biggest stage of all, he looked reborn. At the World Cup, the midfielder dominated games again, dictating tempo, breaking lines and leading Spain to the trophy. The Ballon d'Or winner reminded everyone why he is regarded as one of the finest in his position, driving his country to glory while barely showing a sign of the struggles that had dogged his club form.

That contrast makes this latest development all the more stark. Just as he reasserted his status as the game’s premier midfielder, the focus shifts back to his body and its limits.

Maresca, though, cut a calm figure. This is not a manager panicking over his star man, nor one entertaining the idea of life without him. Speculation has swirled in recent days about Real Madrid’s interest in Rodri, with reports linking the Spaniard with a move back to La Liga. The new City boss brushed that aside.

“Around big players there are always speculations so I am not worried about that,” he said. “I think it is normal, also because they [Spain] won the World Cup and because he is one of the best players. I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he is a top player.”

The message was clear: Rodri is central to Maresca’s plans. The surgery is a pause, not a prelude to an exit.

For City, the question is not whether they value him, but how they navigate the weeks and months until he returns. His absence last season exposed just how much the team leans on his intelligence, positioning and authority. The new manager now starts his tenure knowing that his most reliable reference point in midfield will not be available for the start of his reign.

Rodri, meanwhile, faces a different kind of challenge. After the emotional high of a World Cup win and the personal acclaim of the Golden Ball, he now steps into a quieter, lonelier battle: recovery, rehabilitation and the grind of getting his body right again.

City will wait. Maresca will plan. The speculation will swirl around him as it always does with elite players in their prime.

But when Rodri finally walks back into the Etihad dressing room, the expectation will be the same as ever: to pick up where he left off, and to anchor a new era under a new coach with the same old authority.