Rodri has revealed his private choice for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award, knocking Vinicius Junior additional down the rankings after the Actual Madrid star didn’t attend the ceremony in Paris.
The Manchester Metropolis star capped off a near-perfect marketing campaign by scooping soccer’s most prestigious particular person prize at a star-studded occasion within the French capital. A fourth-successive league title with Pep Guardiola and an immense run to be topped a European Champion with Spain detailed Rodri’s spectacular efforts throughout the 2023/24 season – making him a high contender for the Ballon d’Or award.
Whereas Rodri’s achievements have been spectacular, some inside the recreation believed that Madrid ahead Vinicius ought to’ve been named one of the best males’s participant after profitable each La Liga and the Champions League with Los Blancos.
His membership echoed this perception, opting to boycott the ceremony after discovering out that Vinicius wouldn’t be offered with the trophy.
Nonetheless, an interview with El Partidazo de COPE has revealed that Rodri wouldn’t have even picked the Madrid participant as his runner-up.
“I might have chosen [Dani] Carvajal second and Vinicius third,” Rodri mentioned. “I felt a little bit of disbelief when, on the time of the presentation of the trophy, half the room shouted ‘Vinicius, Vinicius!’. In any case, there was a whole lot of respect for me from the viewers as a result of afterwards all of them stood up and applauded me.
“The Ballon d’Or has rewarded consistency, which is probably the most troublesome factor in soccer. I’m not the one to say whether or not I deserved this award or not. In 2023 I believed I might win it for my nice season at Metropolis and this yr I feel I did even higher.
“Profitable it modifications your life a bit, it is a earlier than and after. I have been congratulated by lots of people, one of many ones I am most enthusiastic about is [Andres] Iniesta, who also needs to have a Ballon d’Or in his showcase as a result of he is been one of the best footballer in our nation’s historical past.”
Rodri additionally revealed his emotions on Madrid‘s lack of illustration on the occasion, claiming that he would’ve acted in another way of their place.
“It did not harm me that they weren’t current,” he continued. “It was my second, with my household, and the very last thing I considered was the individuals who hadn’t come to the gala.
“Did I obtain any congratulations from Madrid? There have been some from former gamers of this membership like Nacho and Joselu, with whom I shared a dressing room.
“I did not miss Vinicius not congratulating me. I care about my individuals, my household and my membership. I would not have achieved what Actual Madrid did by not exhibiting as much as the gala, however there isn’t any level in occupied with it any extra.”