As he continues to recuperate from an ACL injury, Manchester City player Rodri was accompanied to an NBA Paris Games match in Paris on Thursday night by his partner, Laura Iglesias, a medical student.
A day after his side fell 4-2 against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, leaving them staring a league phase knockout in the face, the Ballon d’Or-winning Spaniard was seen courtside.
On the first day of the Paris Games, he watched the Indiana Pacers play the San Antonio Spurs and was spotted taking some photos before describing it as his first NBA game.
When asked about the pictures in a video posted to the NBA’s social media channels, the midfielder said, “Yes, it was my first NBA game.” I want to confirm that I have the correct photo.
Alongside Iglesias, he was beaming, and he also posed with Norwegian football player Ada Hegerberg and Spanish former basketball star Pau Gasol.
In the first of two matches at the event, the San Antonio team emerged victorious, winning 140-110.
The game was the first of the two teams’ Paris Games matches; the second is scheduled for Saturday.
After rupturing his ACL in September, Rodri was previously ruled out for the same reason, but sources have since indicated that he may be able to play this season.
Pep Guardiola’s team has suffered greatly as a result of the Ballon d’Or winner’s absence; despite winning three of their last five league games and drawing two more, the defending champions have fallen to fifth place in the Premier League rankings.
Since rupturing his ACL, Rodri has been sidelined. The ligament tear necessitated significant surgery, which was anticipated to take the rest of the season to heal.
According to The Sun, the midfielder has encouraged his struggling teammates by suggesting that he might return to play far sooner than anticipated.
Although it was anticipated that the 28-year-old would miss all of the remaining Premier League games, his commitment and physical recovery following surgery have pleased medical professionals.
He was said to have begun running in November, but any resurgence would occur late in the campaign.