'Nothing improper was done': Rodri defends City despite guilty verdict on 114 charges
Former Manchester City midfielder Rodri has thrown his support behind the club over their Premier League financial case, insisting he will continue trusting the Etihad hierarchy unless wrongdoing is conclusively proven, even after City were found guilty on the majority of the 115 charges.
Speaking before Spain faced England in the Nations League at Wembley, the Barcelona player said the club had always reassured its squad of their innocence.
"They always express the confidence that they never did something wrong, and we believe in that," he said.
Rodri, who joined Barcelona this summer after seven years at City, pointed to an almost identical situation in 2020, when Uefa initially banned the club from European competition over financial fair play breaches before the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the verdict on appeal.
"We had the example of 2020, when the process was the same and, in the end, nothing happened," he explained. "We believed in the club's innocence, and in the end we were acquitted. I believe in the justice system and in the club's innocence."
The Premier League case covers a period in which City won eight trophies, including three league titles, three League Cups, a Community Shield and an FA Cup, an era Rodri says cannot be undone by any off-field ruling, however the process concludes.
"What we did, they cannot take from us," he said. "It is not paid with money, it is paid with effort and sacrifice, being shoulder to shoulder every day. Everything was deserved, and I am glad I lived through one of English football's best eras."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has urged caution over the case, telling ITV Granada that people should "study" the independent commission's report in detail before reaching conclusions, describing the process between City and the Premier League as long and heavily contested.
Rodri's final two seasons at City were hampered by injuries, but he returned to top form for Spain, helping them win the World Cup and Euro 2024, the latter earning him the 2024 Ballon d'Or. He is again among this year's contenders for the award.
Unlike contenders such as Kylian Mbappe and team-mate Lamine Yamal, Rodri does not believe in campaigning publicly for the award. "It doesn't depend on what you say, it depends on what you've shown on the pitch," he said, adding that individual prizes reward collective effort.
Rodri will captain Spain against England at Wembley this weekend as they begin their Nations League campaign in front of 90,000 fans.
Despite winning two major tournaments in as many years, he insisted the squad remain "hungry for more" and "motivated to win another title."