Manchester City star Rodri has shared what Pep Guardiola said to him just before he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final.
Rodri has been a key player for City in recent seasons, and now he holds the distinction of being the man to score the goal that won the club its first-ever Champions League and clinched a historic treble.
His 68th-minute strike against Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium was enough to see City over the line in Istanbul.
Rodri shares what Guardiola said
Yet despite that, Rodri has admitted that neither he nor manager Guardiola were entirely happy with his overall performance on the night.
“I was not happy with my performance at that moment because in the finals your team needs the best of you, so I was like, ‘Rodri, you have to do better’, the midfielder said, via The Athletic.
“It was self-criticism, also the coach [Guardiola] in that moment was very direct to me, he said, ‘You have to make a step forward’.
“In these moments you have to be strong mentally to accept this criticism when the team is suffering or when you aren’t in the best moments, and I think we overcame this situation pretty well.”
Rodri was certainly not the only player to struggle on the night – City put in a laboured performance as Inter made themselves difficult to break down, while also making City work at the other end of the pitch.
After the game, Guardiola said: “The first half we were so anxious. We could not find the free man, John Stones.
“But it was a question of being patient. I said at half-time, last time, in Porto [in the 2021 final], we were 1-0 down, now it’s 0-0. We adjusted some things but you have to be lucky in this competition.”
