Rodri has responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s claims that the Spaniard’s Ballon d’Or win over Vinicius Junior was “unfair”.
The Manchester City midfielder beat the Real Madrid forward to the top award, and Vinicius and his Madrid colleagues decided not to attend the ceremony in protest.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, has become the latest high-profile figure to throw into question Rodri’s victory.
The Portuguese veteran, who made 292 appearances for Los Blancos, revealed his belief that the Brazilian should have taken the award for winning the UEFA Champions League and scoring in the final as Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
“In my opinion, he [Vinicius] deserved to win the golden ball. It was unfair, in my opinion. I say [it] here in front of everybody,” Ronaldo said.
“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.”
In an interview with Spanish outlet AS, Rodri said Ronaldo’s comments were “a surprise”, hitting back at the 39-year-old.
Rodri played 50 times in all competitions in 2023/24, scoring nine times as City pipped Arsenal to the Premier League title.
“Well, it was a surprise, really, because he knows better than anyone how this award works and, above all, how the winner is chosen,” Rodri said.
“This year, the journalists who voted 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.”
Rodri is still sidelined with the cruciate ligament injury he sustained during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September.
The midfielder has spoken of his desire to return to the Citizens’ midfield before the end of the current campaign, with Pep Guardiola in need of a new lease of life having overseen just one win in his last nine league games – before the recent win over Leicester.
“We are in a critical situation at City,” Rodri said. “I always say that when there are absences in certain positions, the team feels the effects. We have experienced this in other years with [Kevin] De Bruyne or with another player who has been absent for a long time. It is a time when the team has to be united.
“I know that we are in a bad time, a time that we are perhaps finding difficult to assimilate and in which we are not feeling well, but in the end, this is part of sport. You have to pick yourself up. The good thing is that there is room for improvement in the rest of the season. This changes a lot. Football changes.
“I don’t think that, in the end, this moment will be very significant, neither for the good nor the bad. You go through phases throughout the year. The seasons are longer now and maturity and calm are important.
“Obviously, you must not relax or believe that this is going to change overnight. That doesn’t happen in football. It has to improve gradually. We are in a situation, I would say, that is a bit of a limit. You have to try to win, but without panic.”