’My Fault’—Man City Star Takes Responsibility for Heated Clash With Ex-Teammate

Bernardo Silva didn’t take kindly to Rodri’s antics at the end of their round of 16 encounter.

The longtime Man City teammates made up after the final whistle. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

From friends to bitter foes, albeit only briefly. Rodri and Bernardo Silva won everything there is to win together at Manchester City, but the pair clashed on the international stage when Spain faced Portugal with a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals at stake.

The Iberian peninsula neighbors played out a fairly insipid knockout tie bereft of inspiration. Portugal, in particular, seemed keen to take the contest deep, but manager Roberto Martínez’s caution was compromised by clutch Spanish star Mikel Merino in stoppage time.

Merino broke in behind Manchester City’s Rúben Dias, collected a smart Ferran Torres pass and placed an effort beyond goalkeeper Diogo Costa. It unsurprisingly proved to be the winner, with Spain now preparing to face Belgium, slayers of the USMNT, on Friday.

However, Bernardo Silva did have a chance to restore parity at the very last, placing a headed effort over the bar, much to Rodri’s pleasure.

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Rodri Admits Igniting Surprising Clash

Rodri stood over his former teammate and celebrated. | Molly Darlington/Getty Images

As Silva lay down in a heap with his hands on his head, moments after his header safely sailed over the crossbar, he was greeted by a familiar face.

Rodri, in the box at the time of Silva’s miss, couldn’t help himself. The Spain midfielder clenched his fist and shouted in the face of the forlorn Portuguese, who certainly didn’t take kindly to his former teammate’s brazen taunt.

Rodri immediately tried to console Silva, who wasn’t having any of it. It was a brotherly scrap, and Rodri admitted post-match that he’d crossed the line: “I made a mistake,” the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner said to reporters, “because I celebrated when he had missed. I apologized to him immediately.

“But that’s all, because of the trust we have.”

The pair of City legends ranked among Pep Guardiola’s most trusted lieutenants at the Etihad Stadium, sharing the field as many as 249 times after Rodri arrived from Atlético Madrid in 2019.

Silva has since signed for Real Madrid as a free agent, ending a decade-long spell with the Cityzens. Rodri, meanwhile, has flirted with a move to the Spanish capital and will soon enter the final year of his City contract.

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Rodri to Miss Start of Man City’s 2026–27 Season

Rodri will undergo surgery to fix an undisclosed issue after the World Cup. | Carl Recine/Getty Images

Rodri certainly didn’t produce his best work last season, having recovered from an ACL tear in May 2025. An array of injury setbacks plagued his campaign, and displays of form proved fleeting.

His World Cup campaign had been steady before he produced his most assertive performance of the tournament in Spain’s slender round of 16 victory over Portugal.

However, City supporters have learned that they’ll be without their No. 16 for the start of next season due to what the Daily Mail’s Jack Gaughan has labelled a ’mystery injury’. Rodri will undergo surgery after the World Cup, and although the rehabilitation process isn’t thought to be long, he won’t be ready for August 23, when Enzo Maresca’s City host Bournemouth to kick off the Premier League campaign.

Rodri may also risk missing the first Manchester derby of the season, now newly rescheduled for September 13 at Old Trafford.

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