Manchester City midfielder Rodri provided an injury update at a surprise appearance at the Super Bowl LIX game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
The clash at Caesars Superdome ended with a confident 40-22 win by the Birds, while the event saw many famous faces for the European football audience.
Alongside the Citizens’ star, Lionel Messi and his current Inter Miami team-mates – Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets – were spotted enjoying the game.
However, in an interview with Sky Sports, Rodri was asked about his anterior cruciate ligament injury, which left the Spaniard sidelined since the 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September.
He said: ‘Well, I always say, it’s part of life. Injuries, athletes are used to these kind of things.
‘But I’m a very positive guy in the sense that I take it what it is. I always thank God for everything and in these kind of moments try and be positive.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has provided an injury update after he was included in the Champions League squad for the knockout phase
The Spain international made a suprise appearance during the Super Bowl LIX clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday
The 28-year-old has been out since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September
‘And maybe do other stuff that I’m not used to doing, like coming here, spending more time with your family and why not try to improve other parts of your body, work on that and come back stronger.
Rodri was included in the club’s squad for the Champions League knockout phase after his side hinted that he could return to action this campaign despite the initial expectation that he would be out for the entire season.
The reigning Premier League champions will face Real Madrid on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium, but the 28-year-old player is unlikely to appear on the pitch.
When quizzed about how he feels watching the games on the sidelines, the defensive midfielder added: ‘No, I don’t deal good with that. You’re more nervous, you cannot control what’s going on.
‘But yes, I try to support my team from the outside, give them my vision and help them.
Without Rodri, Guardiola’s men dropped to fifth place in the Premier League table with 41 points – behind Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea – while many fans and pundits believe his absence significantly impacted City’s poor campaign to date.
Considering his serious injury, the Citizens signed the former Barcelona academy player Nico Gonzalez from Porto for a fee of £50.2million.
However, in his debut against Leyton Orient, he limped off injured after just 22 minutes of the FA Cup clash, and it remains unknown whether he will be prepared for the game against Los Blancos.
Since his absence, City dropped to fifth place in the Premier League table with only 41 points
Man City are set to face an injury-hit Real Madrid in the first-leg Champions League tie on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium
The Citizens included three of their January signings in the Champions League band – Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush – while there was no place for 19-year-old Brazilian Vitor Reis, who joined in January from Palmeiras for £29.4m.
Meanwhile, Madrid also remains with an injury-hit squad, without David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger.
The Germany international was confirmed to be out for approximately 20 days last week.
Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will likely have to rely on a pairing of the 21-year-old academy product Raul Asencio and defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni to keep City’s attacking line at bay.
