Man City star Rodri jokes he’s watched his Champions League final goal ‘5000 times, in all different languages’ as Spain midfielder reveals what Pep Guardiola said to him during clash
- Rodri was the hero for City in their Champions League final win over Inter Milan
- He scored the winning goal in their narrow 1-0 victory to seal a historic Treble
- The 27-year-old has revealed his life has changed since scoring the crucial goal
Manchester City Treble hero Rodri claimed that life changed with one swish of the boot in Istanbul.
The 27-year-old scored the winner during a tense Champions League final against Inter seven weeks ago, etching his name into legend.
City arrived back home after their pre-season tour of Asia on Monday and Pep Guardiola’s players have been warned that they must now forget their exploits.
Rodri, though, allows himself moments of reflection when sat at home and has pored over footage of supporters celebrating out in Turkey and at screenings in Manchester.
‘I’ve watched the goal 5,000 times,’ he said. ‘In all the different languages: Spanish, English, German, Italian.
Rodri joked that he has watched his Champions League final-winning goal back ‘5000 times’
The Spain star netted in the 68th minute to secure Man City’s first European trophy in 53 years
Rodri revealed Pep Guardiola instructed him to ‘step forward’ during their win over Inter Milan
‘I think it’s special, it’s part of football to enjoy these kind of moments – especially as a holding midfielder, you don’t feel like you are going to be decisive.
‘Now when I go on holiday the fans sing my song. So life has changed for me in a sense. But I hope I can still have the calm that I’ve always been characterised with. I’d love to stop a few months to analyse what happened but everything goes very fast.’
Rodri admitted that he had been under-par during the showpiece final and that Guardiola had rebuked him for an unusually passive display before becoming the unlikely hero.
‘I know what I can bring to the team and I wasn’t happy with my performance,’ he added. ‘In a final the team needs the best of you, so I was self-critical.
‘The coach in that moment was very direct and said, “you make a step forward.” In these moments you have to be strong, accept the criticism when the team is suffering.
‘I just smile about what we achieved – sometimes I feel happier for the club, for my team-mates and the team when I see everyone celebrating.’
