When he speaks, the game is going to listen, and it was listening yesterday when the Spaniard said that a swollen calendar — packed to the rafters now the Champions League has expanded and FIFA’s much larger Club World Cup is growing legs — could prompt players to go on strike.

Players could go on strike over the amount of games they are required to play, Rodri warned on the eve of Manchester City's Champions League opener versus Inter.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri says top soccer players are close to going on strike because of the number of games they are having to play. The Spain international said players are concerned about the way the game is headed as more games are added to the calendar in competitions like the Champions League,