Rodri has apologized to his former Manchester City teammate Bernardo Silva for celebrating Silva's late missed header during Spain's 1-0 World Cup victory over Portugal on Monday. The win secured Spain's progression to the quarter-finals, with Mikel Merino's stoppage-time goal being the decisive moment.
Silva had an opportunity to equalize in the closing moments but was unable to direct his header on target. Following the miss, a brief confrontation occurred between the two players. Rodri, the Spain captain, stood over Silva, who was on the ground, and celebrated animatedly. Silva reacted by getting up and pushing Rodri away, with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon intervening.
"I apologize to Bernardo. I was celebrating his miss at the end. It was my fault," Rodri said after the match.
The pair shared a successful seven-season spell at Manchester City, winning 11 trophies together. It was recently announced that Silva will join Real Madrid next season after his contract with City expired.
Rodri, who has one year remaining on his contract, has indicated he will address his future at City after the World Cup, amid links to Real Madrid. "With a World Cup ahead, my responsibility is to stay focused," Rodri stated in June. "Anything related to my future will wait until after the World Cup."
Portugal's elimination also marks Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup appearance. Ronaldo touched the ball only 19 times in the match. Following the defeat, an emotional Ronaldo stated, "I'm sad to leave the World Cup this way. As I said yesterday, I gave it my all and I leave with a clear conscience. That's the life of a footballer. You have to move forward."
He confirmed this was his last World Cup but indicated he would discuss his future later, away from the heat of the moment. Ronaldo added, "I've given my all. I've won three titles with Portugal. The 2016 (Euros) title is on the same level as a World Cup."
Spain is scheduled to play Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday, with the winner advancing to face either France or Morocco in the semi-finals.