Rodri in 'forbidden' moment as Spanish media reacts to Man City's display vs Uruguay

Manchester City fans, at least those still awake, would have been keen to watch Rodri's performance in Spain's win over Uruguay.

In a game that sent Marcelo Bielsa's side crashing out of the 2026 World Cup, Rodri played the full 90 minutes, as Alex Baena scored the only goal.

It was far from the dominant display that many expected from the Spaniards, but it was certainly one that got the job done, with emotions bubbling over at full-time.

Man City's midfield maestro managed to avoid any of the controversy though. It was Uruguay's Agustin Canobbio who was sent off on Saturday, 27 June.

Rodri has now played all three of Spain's games at the tournament, only being substituted for the closing stages of the opening draw against Cape Verde.

Understandably, there has been a lot of talk about his future at the Etihad Stadium, and while he is improving with every game, he's clearly not the same player he once was.

Rodri nearly gets Spain in trouble vs Uruguay

It has been quite difficult to see the 30-year-old struggles after returning from such a long-term injury, one that saw him miss most of the 2024-25 campaign.

And looking at how Spanish media reacted to the team's overall performance, it would suggest that Man City may have a bigger need to replace him afterall.

AS' Fernando Tavero wrote: "Watched by [Federico] Valverde a lot, and it made it difficult for him to circulate. A one-on-one marking that counteracted the captain's handling.

"He made a couple of mistakes in the first half, especially one that led to a clear chance on the right wing. And another in the second, when he crossed a 'forbidden' pass that Uruguay recovered."

With a 94 per cent success rate in his passing, it was obviously a rare moment from Rodri, but these appear to be increasing, rather than decreasing.

What do Rodri's stats say at the World Cup?

Despite a decent 7.2 rating from FotMob, his overall performance might be seen as a little sloppy by some, especially against a struggling Uruguay side.

In 90 minutes, he made six passes into the final third, was dispossessed twice, made five tackles, six recoveries and three fouls, was dribbled past three times and lost 64 per cent of his ground duels.

With Fabian Ruiz, Gavi and Martin Zubimendi all on the bench, it was certainly a surprise not to see him hooked at some point during the game.

Spain are likely to face Austria or Algeria in the round of 32, and it will be interesting to see if Luis de la Fuente drops Rodri or keeps the faith.