Rodri, the 2024 Ballon D'Or winner who has excelled at the heart of Spain's midfield during the World Cup, said he expects the final to be unlike any other game the European champions have faced.

Beyond Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semifinal in Dallas lay a far more compelling story than the scoreline itself -- one of a tactical masterclass from Luis de la Fuente that Didier Deschamps never truly recognised, let alone countered.

A second star has never been so within touching distance for La Furia Roja.

Ultimately, this high-stakes encounter near Hollywood lights faithfully mirrored the storied bracket of 1994, leaving the World Cup poised for further high-drama fixtures.

Spain midfielder Rodri said he is focused on the World Cup and will only address his future at Manchester City after the tournament.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri is fit to return following a hamstring injury as they look to keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal at Sunderland on Thursday, City manager Pep Guardiola said.

Pep Guardiola is confident Manchester City will contend for the Premier League title if Rodri can rediscover his best form after returning from injury.

Manchester City will be without midfielder Rodri for matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa this week as the Spanish midfielder continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said.

Spain confirmed Monday Manchester City midfielder Rodri Hernandez will not be joining them for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, after suffering a hamstring injury.

Manchester City blew the lead on Sunday in a shock 2-1 defeat at Brighton that extended their troubled start to the Premier League season.

Midfielder Rodri is recovering from a "big injury" sustained during the Club World Cup, likely limiting the Ballon d'Or winner's playing time in the early stages of the new Premier League season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said.

Mateo Kovacic has undergone surgery on an Achilles injury and will miss the FIFA Club World Cup, Manchester City announced on Monday.

Goals from Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva and Nico Gonzalez lifted City up into third in the Premier League heading into Sunday's final round of matches.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is glad to have Spain midfielder Rodri back in training but has no idea yet if he will feature at all in this month's FA Cup final, saying "I'm not a doctor".

City have struggled badly without Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who suffered a serious knee injury in September.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti vehemently defended his sides’ decision to boycott the Ballon d’Or award ceremony last year in protest of Vinicius Jr’s snub and said that Rodri, who edged out Vinicius for the award, should have won the prize a year earlier instead of Lionel Messi.

The winners of the ninth edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 will be revealed in the early hours of Thursday (Bangladesh time). The awards recognise the year’s top players in women’s and men’s football at club and national levels and celebrate their performances.

Rodri, who won the Ballon d'Or last month, underwent surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a 2-2 draw at Arsenal, with manager Pep Guardiola saying he would not play again this season.

“Why would it hurt me? It was my moment, to enjoy with my family. The last thing I’d be thinking about is people who weren’t there, and didn’t want to participate,” Rodri said in an interview with COPE radio.

It was revealed that five of the 99 journalists who voted for this year’s Ballon d’Or left eventual winner Rodri out of their top 10 list while three journos did not have Vinicius Junior, who came second after the Spanish midfielder, in the top 10 of their ballot.