Manchester City have been top of the class this season – but midfielder Rodri admitted they have “one more exam to pass” to achieve true greatness.
Victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday will clinch an historic Treble for Pep Guardiola's side and confirm their status as football immortals. Despite their domestic dominance, Guardiola has admitted City cannot be considered a truly great side until they have conquered Europe – a view echoed by Rodri after their FA Cup triumph.
“Pep said you will not be ‘big, big’ if you don’t win in Europe,” said Rodri. “It’s the exam we have to pass again. It's another final and we're ready, that’s all I can say.
“Be confident, be ourselves and try our best to fight for the final. Now we can focus on the last game, the last title. Of course it’s there [the Treble], it’s something we dream about, but we have to prepare against a tough Italian team.
“The conviction is there, always. When you win, the confidence gets better, but we’ve been working well to arrive here. We have the confidence, but we have to put in all the effort on the pitch. One game left and it’s a final.”
City have come close to European glory in recent years – most notably losing in the final to Chelsea two years ago – but have fallen short when it mattered in the Champions League. But there is a new-found belief and assurance about Guardiola's Double winners that suggests they are destined to finally end their European agony on Saturday and take their place in history.
For Rodri, the agony of past Champions League failures have been an essential part of City's European journey, to the point where they feel they are ready to reach the summit of the mountain. The manner of City's ruthless 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in the semi-final – a year after their agonising semi-final exit to them – suggested Guardiola's men have finally come of age in Europe.
“We try to learn a lot from the past,” said Rodri. “It’s something you learn and I think the desire - how we played Real Madrid, for example, with defeat there last year. I think to win you have to have lost before and to have a winning mentality in the Champions League you have to have been there, in the semi-finals and touch the finals.
“That’s the good point of this team. The last six or seven years, we've been touching the semi-finals and finals. It's the only way to achieve and to win. We’re on that road and hopefully working hard, because the team wants it.
“The experience is a very good point. Also, the players who came in made a massive impact to give us extra every year. I think that the squad in general, you learn as a group. We try to innovate and push ourselves to the maximum every time.”
While other players have higher profiles and take the plaudits, like goal machine Erling Haaland and playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri has been one of City's most important figures this season. His commanding presence and authority in midfield allows City's attackers to flourish, with the 26-year-old, signed from Atletico Madrid for £62million four years ago, in the best form of his career.
“I feel in the best moment, physically, mentally and the way I understand the game,” said Rodri. “It’s my fourth year and there are lots of lessons - when you win, lose, finals, everything you can learn from. I feel more mature in these situations.”
