Rodri Signs Manchester City Poster Depicting Controversial Handball From Premier League Win

Rodri signed a poster depicting his handball from Manchester City's crucial 1-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park last term.

The Spain international flew out to the United States with his teammates at the weekend as the Premier League champions kick off their preparations for the new campaign.

City play Mexican side Club America at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Thursday morning before heading to Wisconsin and facing off against Bayern Munich at the Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers.

As Fernandinho neared the end of his illustrious time at the Etihad Stadium, Rodri stepped up to the plate and made himself indispensable to Pep Guardiola's side last season.

The 25-year-old joined the Blues from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a reported fee of £63 million but made a slow start to life in England.

However, the last 18 months have seen the Madrid-born star make his name as one of the best defensive midfielders in world football.

Rodri played a pivotal role in helping City retain the Premier League title last term and fend off another commendable challenge from rivals Liverpool.

The Spaniard scored seven times and provided two assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City over the course of the 2021/22 campaign.

A landmark moment in certainly the minds of Manchester City supporters from the past season was when Phil Foden's late strike at Goodison Park sealed a 1-0 win against Everton in February.

However, it was an incident in the other box that made the headlines that evening, as Rodri appeared to have handled the ball in City's box to prompt a VAR check and a possible penalty.

Despite replays showing the midfielder could have very easily been penalised, some deserved luck spared City's blushes and helped them return to winning ways after a 2-3 loss at home to Tottenham.

Months after the incident, the 'Hand of Rod' again came to light on social media as Rodri agreed to sign a Manchester City fan's poster depicting him handling the ball at Goodison Park whilst on tour in the United States.

The Premier League champions will return home to take on Liverpool in the Community Shield at the King Power Stadium at the end of the month.

Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Kalvin Phillips could all play their first competitive minutes for their new club against the Reds, who have secured the arrival of Darwin Nunez from Benfica on a record transfer this summer.

City have sold Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling to Arsenal and Chelsea respectively and are eyeing a swoop for Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella, with Oleksandr Zinchenko expected to join up with Jesus at the Emirates Stadium in the near future.