Rodri's Ballon d'Or win gives fresh hope for return to the field this season

Despite consistently brilliant performances for Manchester City and Spain over the past two years, one downside for the Spaniard has been the sheer number of matches he has played. Last season alone, he played in 58 matches, and the season before that, he played in a staggering 71 matches.

In mid-September, the midfielder expressed concerns about next summer’s expanded Club World Cup adding to the schedule for elite players. Five days after that, he suffered his ACL injury against Arsenal.