Speaking to DAZN's Premier Corner, the Manchester City midfielder did not hold back.
"Either we stop or I won't make it to 32. You have to know how to manage the workload because the body has its limits and we all have an expiration date."
He added: "When that European Championship we won ended, I was extremely worn out from reaching the final stages of everything for five or six consecutive years.
"More than physically, mentally I didn't know how to face it in the following years because of the burnout. I reached the peak, I almost reached the maximum I could have achieved, and it was a moment I used to recharge."
Rodri suffered a serious ACL tear shortly after those comments in September 2024. He won the Ballon d'Or that same autumn while still on the operating table.
He returned to first-team action this season but has since picked up a further muscle injury, casting doubt over his availability for City's title run-in. Pep Guardiola said this week the situation is being assessed day by day.
The 29-year-old has been one of the most vocal players in the ongoing debate around the expansion of the Club World Cup, the enlarged Champions League group stage and the growing demands on elite players who represent their national teams across multiple tournaments per season.
Several players threatened strike action last year during the FIFA calendar negotiations before a compromise was eventually reached.