Rodri has revealed his personal selection for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award, knocking Vinicius Junior further down the rankings after the Real Madrid star failed to attend the ceremony in Paris.

The Manchester City star capped off a near-perfect campaign by scooping football’s most prestigious individual prize at a star-studded event in the French capital. A fourth-successive league title with Pep Guardiola and an immense run to be crowned a European Champion with Spain detailed Rodri’s impressive efforts during the 2023/24 season – making him a top contender for the Ballon d’Or award.

While Rodri’s achievements were impressive, some within the game believed that Madrid forward Vinicius should’ve been named the best men’s player after winning both La Liga and the Champions League with Los Blancos.

His club echoed this belief, opting to boycott the ceremony after finding out that Vinicius would not be presented with the trophy.

However, an interview with El Partidazo de COPE has revealed that Rodri would not have even picked the Madrid player as his runner-up.

“I would have chosen [Dani] Carvajal second and Vinicius third,” Rodri said. “I felt a bit of disbelief when, at the time of the presentation of the trophy, half the room shouted ‘Vinicius, Vinicius!’. In any case, there was a lot of respect for me from the audience because afterwards they all stood up and applauded me.

“The Ballon d’Or has rewarded consistency, which is the most difficult thing in football. I am not the one to say whether I deserved this award or not. In 2023 I thought I could win it for my great season at City and this year I think I did even better.

“Winning it changes your life a bit, it’s a before and after. I’ve been congratulated by a lot of people, one of the ones I’m most excited about is [Andres] Iniesta, who should also have a Ballon d’Or in his showcase because he’s been the best footballer in our country’s history.”

Rodri also revealed his feelings on Madrid’s lack of representation at the event, claiming that he would’ve acted differently in their position.

“It didn’t hurt me that they weren’t present,” he continued. “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.”

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