Rodri has been taken aback by Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘unfair’ jibe as the Ballon d’Or row rolls on.
The Manchester City star claimed the award towards the end of last year. He was voted for the gong after his standout performances helped City claim yet another Premier League title, while he also helped Spain to Euro 2024.
Rodri pipped Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr to the Ballon d’Or. And that decision kicked off a bitter fallout, with the Spanish giants choosing to snub the glitzy ceremony in Paris.
Even six-time winner Ronaldo gave his verdict and claimed that it was “unfair” that Rodri claimed the accolade. He said: “In my opinion, he (Vinicius) deserved to win the golden ball [Ballon d’Or award]. It was unfair in my opinion. I say [it] here in front of everybody.
“They gave it to Rodri, he deserved it too, but they should have given it to Vinicius because he won the Champions League and scored in the final.”
And Rodri has now spoken out on those comments with a telling retort to the Portuguese veteran. Speaking to AS, he said: “Well, it was a surprise, really, because he knows better than anyone how this award works and, above all, how the winner is chosen.
“This year, the journalists who vote have decided that I should win it. Probably, these same journalists were the ones who at some point voted for him to win it, and I imagine that then he would have agreed.”
It is not the first time that Rodri has spoken out on the ongoing row months after the Ballon d’Or was presented to him. He has also responded to Real Madrid’s decision to not attend the ceremony.
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Speaking in November, he said: “It didn’t hurt me that they [Real Madrid] weren’t present. It was my moment, with my family, and the last thing I thought about was the people who hadn’t come to the gala.
“Did I receive any congratulations from Madrid? There were some from former players of this club like Nacho and Joselu, with whom I shared a dressing room.
“I didn’t miss Vinicius not congratulating me. I care about my people, my family and my club. I wouldn’t have done what Real Madrid did by not showing up to the gala, but there’s no point in thinking about it any more.”
Rodri, 28, remains sidelined with a serious knee injury but has shared an ambition to return before the end of the season. City are back in action this weekend as they take on West Ham at the Etihad.
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