Rodri thinks football 'has been cruel' to Barcelona midfielder Gavi and it's hard to disagree

Spain midfielder Rodri says football has been "cruel" to international teammate Gavi and has called on football's power brokers to reduce the number of matches in a season.

Back in November, it was confirmed that Gavi would face up to 10 months on the sidelines after he suffered a season-ending ACL injury during Spain's Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia.

Gavi's club Barcelona were said to be furious at Luis de la Fuente's decision to start Gavi in their final game when Spain had already qualified from Group A.

The 19-year-old, a first-team regular at the Catalan giants, was the only player to have participated in all 27 games since De la Fuente was appointed Spain manager in December 2022.

Many have voiced their concerns about the number of games in a calendar year, including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who said only an uprising led by players could turn the tide.

And three months later, City midfielder Rodri has publicly criticised the busy football schedule during an interview with Marca.

"I think they should act, and quickly," the Spaniard said when asked amount of games and injuries at the top level of football.

"The human body gets used to competing, but there has to be a limit. You can see it with the amount of injuries that there have been. It’s not good for the spectacle. The more a player has rested, the better the spectacle."

Rodri also brought up Gavi's luck when it comes to injuries.

"Yes, that was a very tough day," he said when recalling the clash against Georgia. "Gavi is someone who is loved greatly, he has a very strong personality. Sometimes he gets criticised for it, but personally I love it.

"He shows the purity of someone who enjoys playing football by going to the maximum, doing anything for what he loves. He has to improve in some areas, but I like his way of being."

Rodri added: "Football has been cruel to him. In the half-time break [against Georgia] we repeated to him that he’s young and this will make him stronger.

"We were all trying to convince him that he’ll get back to being how he was. Today, you can overcome those injuries. We have the measures to do it. I told him not to rush. It was all very difficult."

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images

Topics: Rodri, Manchester City, Gavi, Barcelona, Spain, La Liga

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

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