Rodri, recently crowned football’s Ballon D’Or winner, has once again sparked controversy on the subject of Gibraltar – suggesting his Manchester City team-mates do not even know where – or even what – the British Overseas Territory is.
The Spanish midfielder triggered an angry reaction in July when he led a controversial chant days after Spain’s victory over England in the final of Euro 2024 in Berlin, in which he sang “Gibraltar is Spanish” in front of a huge crowd.
UEFA subsequently slapped Rodi and teammate Alvaro Morata with a one-match international ban, which they served in the game against Serbia in the Nations League in September.
However, the 28-year-old, currently sidelined by an anterior cruciate ligament injury which doctors estimate will keep him out for most of the season, returned to the subject in an interview with sports broadcaster Cope’s El Partidazo show yesterday.
He explained: “I asked City team-mates if they had heard about my sanction and they asked me what Gibraltar was.
“If they don’t know, even better.”
Rodri has previously voiced his displeasure with Gibraltar being used for international matches, which he claimed was disrespectful to Spain.
Speaking about the incident which followed Spain’s 2-1 win over England, Madrid’s conservative mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, insisted: “The players didn’t say anything that most Spaniards don’t believe.”
Javier Ortega-Smith, a senior member of the far-right Vox party, retweeted a video of the chant, commenting: “Si.”
Commenting on footage of Rodri’s post-final chants, Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, told Times Radio: “Nothing is going to change as a result of a football match, or something a footballer in his 20s says, whether he is holding the European Cup or not.
“But it goes to the root of things that we find offensive. We’re a separate UEFA nation.”
He explained: “This comes from the days of General Franco that used to egg people on to make this sort of chant.
“And to see young people take it over unthinkingly, without realising what it is that they are adopting.
“And to then to see in public, enjoying themselves, one of the sisters of the King of Spain and the mayor of Madrid chanting along is really quite soul-destroying, frankly.
“This is just utter nonsense, but it’s deeply offensive, deeply discriminatory, and not the sort of thing that we should see surrounding the magnificent sport of football, and such an excellent win on the pitch for Spain.”
Gibraltar, situated at the southern tip of Spain, has long been a point of contention between the UK and Spain, with Spain historically claiming sovereignty over the territory, which has been in British hands since 1713.
Express.co.uk has approached the Gibraltarian Government and Manchester City for comment.
