“It’s happening soon.” The verdict is in and Man City fans are unanimous about Rodri’s future at the Etihad

Manchester City fans are once again talking about Rodri and his future and this time the conversation feels bigger than ever because what happened during the recent Premier League match against Leeds United has reminded everyone just how important the Spanish midfielder is to the team for months there has been a cloud hanging over the Etihad Stadium because of rumours linking Rodri with a move away from the club especially with Spanish giants Real Madrid being mentioned again and again as a possible destination but after the performance he delivered against Leeds supporters are now making their feelings very clear they do not want him to leave and many of them are begging the club to offer him a new contract immediately because they believe he is simply too important to lose

The story around Rodri and his future has slowly grown over the past year especially because of his contract situation his current deal with Manchester City is set to expire at the end of the 2025 26 season and that means if nothing changes he could potentially walk away from the club for free in the summer something that would shock many people in football losing a player of his quality without receiving a transfer fee would be a massive moment not only for Manchester City but also for European football because Rodri is not just another midfielder he is widely seen as one of the most intelligent and reliable players in the game

Real Madrid have been strongly linked with him for a long time and the idea of Rodri returning to Spain to play at the Santiago Bernabeu has created many discussions among fans and journalists the Spanish club are famous for signing world class midfielders and Rodri fits their style perfectly he is calm he is smart he reads the game better than almost anyone and he has proven that he can perform on the biggest stages in football that is why the rumours about a possible move have never really disappeared

At the same time there is also an interesting story connected to the Ballon dOr award that Rodri won the Spanish midfielder shocked many people when he won the prestigious prize beating several superstar attackers including Vinicius Junior the Brazilian forward had many supporters who believed he should have won the award and because Vinicius plays for Real Madrid the situation created an interesting storyline if Rodri ever joined the club it would certainly create plenty of conversations inside the dressing room and among supporters

But right now Manchester City fans are not thinking about those complicated stories they are thinking about something much simpler they want Rodri to stay and the performance he delivered against Leeds United has only made that desire stronger

The past season has been extremely difficult for the Spanish midfielder because he suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury that forced him to spend a long time away from the pitch watching matches from the sidelines was painful not only for him but also for Manchester City supporters because they know how important he is to the way the team plays Rodri is the player who connects everything in Pep Guardiola system he protects the defense he controls the tempo of matches and he starts many of the attacking moves that lead to goals

When he first returned from the injury it was clear that he still needed time his movement looked slightly slower his rhythm was not quite perfect and sometimes he struggled to dominate matches in the same way he used to before the injury this is normal for any player returning from a long absence but it still made some fans nervous they wondered if Rodri would ever return to the unstoppable level he showed during Manchester City greatest seasons

For years Rodri had been almost untouchable in midfield he rarely made mistakes he rarely lost possession and he almost always controlled games with calm authority he became one of Pep Guardiola most trusted players and he was often the man who allowed the entire Manchester City system to function smoothly so when he struggled after the injury it created questions among supporters

But the match against Leeds United changed the mood completely

From the moment the game started Rodri looked like a different player he looked confident again he looked strong and most importantly he looked comfortable controlling the centre of the pitch Leeds tried to press Manchester City aggressively but Rodri kept finding ways to escape the pressure with clever passes and intelligent movement

Throughout the match he was everywhere touching the ball again and again and making sure Manchester City always had control of possession by the time the final whistle arrived his statistics showed just how dominant he had been he recorded 138 touches during the match which is an incredible number and shows how central he was to everything Manchester City did whenever his teammates needed an option they passed the ball to Rodri

His passing accuracy was also extremely impressive completing 92 percent of his passes which is exactly the level fans expect from him fifteen of those passes went into the final third helping Manchester City move the ball into dangerous attacking positions he also created one big chance during the game showing that he can still influence attacking moments not just defensive stability

Rodri even tried his luck with two long range shots reminding everyone that he has the ability to score important goals when needed but his defensive work was just as important during the match he made one tackle six clearances and two recoveries stopping Leeds from creating dangerous situations around the Manchester City penalty area

He also battled strongly in physical duels winning 71 percent of his ground duels and 67 percent of his aerial duels numbers that highlight his strength and determination in midfield these statistics show why Pep Guardiola trusts him so much because Rodri is capable of doing everything controlling possession breaking up attacks and helping his team move forward

One moment during the match perfectly showed his intelligence with Manchester City under heavy pressure inside their own penalty area Rodri calmly protected the ball and won an important foul giving his team a chance to breathe and reorganize it was not a spectacular moment that would appear in highlight videos but it was exactly the kind of smart play that helps teams win difficult matches

Manchester City eventually secured the victory and many supporters believed that Rodri was one of the main reasons why the team managed to hold on for all three points his leadership his experience and his calm presence in midfield helped Manchester City stay in control even when Leeds were pushing forward

After the match fans immediately started talking about his future again but this time the conversation was different instead of worrying about his form supporters were celebrating his return and demanding that the club give him a new contract as quickly as possible

Social media quickly filled with messages from Manchester City fans asking the same question when will Rodri sign a new deal some supporters joked that the club should give him a lifetime contract because they never want to see him playing for another team others said they had already accepted the idea that he might leave for Real Madrid but after watching his performance against Leeds they had changed their minds and were now hoping he stays for many more years

Many fans also repeated the same message Rodri is still Rodri they believe that the injury may have slowed him down temporarily but the player who dominated Europe with Manchester City has returned

For Pep Guardiola the importance of Rodri cannot be overstated the Manchester City manager has always built his tactical systems around a controlling midfielder someone who can dictate the rhythm of games and maintain balance between attack and defense Rodri has become the perfect player for that role because he understands Guardiola ideas better than almost anyone else in the squad

He knows exactly when to speed up the game and when to slow things down he knows where to position himself to protect the defense and he knows how to help his teammates maintain possession even under intense pressure this level of understanding is rare and it is one of the reasons Manchester City have been so successful in recent years

During the period when Rodri was injured Manchester City tried different solutions in midfield but none of them truly replaced what he offers the team other players have talent but Rodri combination of intelligence strength and calm decision making is unique

That is why the idea of losing him worries supporters so much they know how difficult it would be to find another player who can perform the same role at the same level

At 29 years old Rodri still has many years ahead of him his style of play does not depend heavily on speed which means he could continue playing at the highest level well into his thirties many of the greatest midfielders in football history remained dominant long after turning thirty because their understanding of the game continued to grow and Rodri seems like exactly that type of player

Every season he appears more composed more confident and more influential and his experience from winning major trophies including the Champions League has made him an even stronger leader inside the dressing room

For Manchester City the decision about his future could become one of the most important moments of the next year offering him a long term contract would send a powerful message that the club wants to keep its most important players and continue building a team capable of dominating English and European football

For the fans the message is already clear they have seen what Rodri means to the team they have seen how the entire midfield changes when he is on the pitch and after the performance against Leeds United they believe the best version of Rodri has returned

Now supporters are simply waiting waiting for the club to act waiting for the announcement of a contract extension and hoping that the midfielder who has become the heartbeat of Manchester City will continue wearing the sky blue shirt for many more seasons because for many fans the thought of Rodri leaving the Etihad Stadium is something they do not even want to imagine anymore.