The many games are endangering the health of the top footballers, says someone who should know. Spain’s European champion Rodri can imagine drastic measures to counteract this.
European champion Rodri of Manchester City believes that a strike by football professionals is conceivable given the ever-increasing number of games. Before the English champions’ opening game in the Champions League against Inter Milan on Wednesday, when asked whether players could refuse to play, the Spaniard said: “I think we’re close to that. I think you can ask any player you want and they’ll say the same thing.”
The 28-year-old stressed that this was not his personal opinion, but the general view of the players. “And if it continues like this, I really think there will come a moment when we have no other option. But we’ll see.” The professionals are worried, the midfielder stressed. “Because we are the guys who are suffering.”
It’s not just about money or marketing
Due to the expansion of the Champions League from 32 to 36 clubs and the new format, each club has two more games. If they do not manage to reach the round of 16 directly, the playoffs will increase the number of games to four. Given the large number of competitions, top clubs such as Manchester City could play 75 or even 80 games in a season. For the national team players, it is even more.
“That’s too much in my humble opinion. I think we have to look after ourselves. Someone has to look after us because we are the main actors in this sport or business, or whatever you want to call it,” said Rodri. It’s not just about money or marketing, but also about the quality of the show.
Haaland is back to being the beast of his former days thanks to his break
From his experience, a professional can play 40 to 50 games at the highest level, explained Rodri. In his view, the impact a break in the summer can have is demonstrated by his teammate Erling Haaland, who is currently in outstanding form. The Norwegian striker did not qualify for the European Championships in Germany with the national team. “He is now back to the beast we saw in the early days,” said Rodri.
Source: Stern
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