Former Manchester City midfielder Rodri said he "believes in the innocence of the club" after reports that City were set to be found guilty on most of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League over alleged financial breaches. A source confirmed to ESPN that City were expected to be found guilty on the vast majority of the charges.

Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, spent seven years at City before joining Barcelona this summer. He recalled an identical process in 2020 involving UEFA, which saw City initially banned before the verdict was overturned on appeal. "From the club, they always told us to be calm, that we'd be acquitted, and the club was found not guilty," Rodri said.

"I believe in the innocence of the club. I know the club well. We were told at the time to be calm, and that everything had been done properly." The Premier League charges relate to a period before Rodri joined City in 2019. He won four Premier League titles with City between 2020 and 2024, as well as the 2023 Champions League.

Rodri said the club's success was deserved: "It's something that isn't paid for with money, it's effort, partnership, standing shoulder to shoulder. We had a lot of success, here at Wembley, and I can tell you that everything was deserved." When asked how he would feel if guilty charges were confirmed, Rodri said the club always expressed confidence in their innocence, and he believed them.