´I´m not Messi´ – Rodri insists his return cannot change Man City fortunes

Rodri said he cannot change Manchester City’s fortunes single-handedly following their 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday, quipping: “I’m not Messi.”

The Spaniard made his first Premier League start in 11 months at the Amex Stadium, having suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear against Arsenal last September.

He initially helped City take control of the contest as Erling Haaland put them in front in the 34th minute, and Pep Guardiola’s side only faced one shot throughout the first half.

However, the game changed when Fabian Hurzeler introduced four Brighton substitutes around the hour mark, with two of them – James Milner and Brajan Gruda – scoring in a comeback victory.

It was the first time City had lost a Premier League game that Rodri started since February 2023, when they went down 1-0 versus Tottenham.

Rodri’s 49-game unbeaten streak when starting was the second-longest in the competition’s history, after Sol Campbell enjoyed a 56-match run with Arsenal from 2002 to 2004.

Speaking after the game, Rodri acknowledged that while he may be the Ballon d’Or holder, he cannot carry his team like Barcelona and Argentina legend Lionel Messi.

“I’m not Messi. I’m not going to come back and make the team win and win,” Rodri said.

“This is a collective; when we won in the past, I needed all my team-mates. For sure, I have to recover and find my best level.

“It’s not like, because I’m back, we’re going to win. It’s a collective sport. Hopefully, after the break, we can come back much better.”

City have lost two of their first three games to start a Premier League season for the first time since 2004-05, when they memorably missed out on European football on the final day, drawing 1-1 with Middlesbrough with goalkeeper David James playing as a makeshift striker.

Only Manchester United, in 1992-93, have ever recovered from such a start to win the title, and the Red Devils are City’s next opponents on September 14.