The Manchester City midfielder played 63 matches for club and country last season and revealed that players may take action to stop more games being added following the expansion of the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup next summer.

Questioned on whether striking was an option for players, Rodri said: "I think we are close to that – it is easy to understand.

"If you ask any player he will say the same; it is not the opinion of Rodri or whatever. It’s the general opinion of the players. And if it keeps this way, there will be a moment where we have no other option. It’s something that worries us because we are the guys that suffer."

City could play more than 80 games this season if they progress in all competitions but the Spain international thinks that between "40 and 50" matches is the maximum a player can compete at the highest level.

Rodri said: "From my experience I can tell you that 60-70 [is no good]. Between 40 and 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform in the highest level. After that you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level.

"This year we can go to 70, maybe 80, I don’t know. It depends how far you go in the competitions. It is too much. We have to take care of ourselves. Someone has to take care of ourselves because we are the main characters of this sport or business or whatever you want to call it.

"Not everything is money or marketing, it is also the quality of the show. When I am not tired I perform better and if the people want to see a better football, we need to rest."