Where are they now? The 6 players Man City signed alongside Rodri in 2019
Rodri has blossomed into one of the best players in Manchester City’s recent history – but the same can’t be said of the other players who joined him at the Etihad in 2019.
Pep Guardiola made six other signings that summer, but City would finish miles behind Liverpool in the Premier League table. Crucially, most of those players would play no part in the club’s subsequent success either.
We’ve done some digging to find out what the six players who joined City alongside Rodri in the summer of 2019 are up to these days.
Joao Cancelo
Signed from Juventus for £60million, making him the most expensive right-back in football history, Cancelo was a monster for City before a spectacular fall from grace.
The Portuguese looked like one of the best full-backs in the world, one of City’s most dangerous and creative players, and among the first names on the teamsheet as they claimed back-to-back Premier League titles.
That was until he fell out with Pep Guardiola and was unceremoniously bundled off on loan to Bayern Munich and Barcelona before being sold to Saudi club Al Hilal.
Rumours circulated that Cancelo was a bad influence in the City dressing room, but the 30-year-old told the Portuguese sports newspaper A Bola: “Lies were told. I was never a bad companion for them and you can ask either Ake or Rico.
“I don’t have any superiority or inferiority complex towards them.
“I think Manchester City were a bit ungrateful to me when they said that because I was a very important player in the years I was there. I never failed in my commitment to the club, to the fans. I always gave everything.”
Angelino
Another youngster signed from overseas to bolster City’s youth ranks, Spanish left-back Angelino was frequently loaned out and eventually sold to PSV before the club exercised their buy-back option in 2019.
He made 12 appearances on his second stint with City but never made it past the fringes. Eventually, he was sold to RB Leipzig after impressing out on loan there.
“Pep has killed me and my self-confidence,” Angelino told reporters back in 2021.
“After my move from Eindhoven back to City, he had already judged me on two pre-season games and then didn’t give me a real chance again.
“So I was happy that I moved to Leipzig and that I am now an integral part of the club.”
He’s now playing in Serie A for Roma.
Pedro Porro
Porro joined City from sister club Girona back in 2019, but he never actually made an appearance under Pep Guardiola and was frequently loaned out before being sold to Sporting Lisbon for a modest fee.
The full-back shone in Portugal and has since returned to England. He made a somewhat unconvincing start at Tottenham but has looked frequently impressive under Ange Postecoglou.
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Zack Steffen
Despite having 29 caps for the USMNT, Steffen rarely impressed for City in the rare opportunities he had and is best remembered for his error in the 2022 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool.
The goalkeeper spent the 2022-23 out on loan at Middlesbrough and publically declared his desire to leave City after finding himself below Scott Carson in the pecking order.
“I don’t think I’ll go back,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer in March 2023.
“No, I want to be playing. Although I had a great time at City and I love those guys, and obviously [it’s] an amazing club, I don’t really have any plans to go back.”
He made a permanent move to Colorado Rapids in January 2024 and is finally playing as a first-choice goalkeeper.
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Ryotaro Meshino
Picked up from Gamba Osaka, Meshino never came close to playing for City in any capacity.
The Japanese winger was loaned out to Hearts, Rio Ave and Estroil before returning to Gamba Osaka in 2022. Isn’t modern football romantic?
Scott Carson
Carson arguably has the best job in football; third-choice goalkeeper at City, helps with the training drills, plays maybe once a season and is a big part of any trophy celebrations.
Legend.