Khaldoon Al Mubarak names three Manchester City players who deserved to win the Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

Manchester City have had three previous Ballon d’Or winners on their books, according to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak handing huge praise to the club’s first-ever winner, Rodri.

Rodri made history in November 2024 when the 28-year-old became the first player in Manchester City’s history to win the Ballon d’Or after a sensational 2023/24 campaign that saw him spearhead his club to a fourth straight Premier League title and win the European Championship with Spain.

The midfielder, who spent nearly the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign recovering from an ACL injury sustained against Arsenal in September 2024, has made his name as the world’s best defensive midfielder since the 2020-21 campaign, when he took over the mantle in the number six position from Fernandinho.

A strong candidate for the Manchester City armband when Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne confirm their departures this summer, Rodri made his long-awaited return to first-team action in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth last week.

There is encouragement over the Spaniard playing a greater role in Manchester City’s upcoming FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the United States before the Blues begin their preparations for the 2025-26 Premier League season.

Speaking as part of his annual end-of-season interview with Manchester City’s official media channels, club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has spoken with huge praise for the Etihad Stadium’s first-ever Ballon d’Or winner.

“We should be so proud at this club to have, finally, a Ballon d’Or winner. We’ve had at least, I would say, three players that had a very great shot at it – Erling (Haaland), Kevin (De Bruyne), and I would argue, Sergio (Aguero) over these years,” Al Mubarak insisted.

“And finally, Rodri gets the Ballon d’Or, and he was deservedly the winner last year. And then to get injured in September with an ACL injury and miss the whole season effectively, in the year that he won the Ballon d’Or is tough luck.

“And Rodri, beyond the Ballon d’Or, just as a player is such an important player for this club in every possible way, on the pitch and off the pitch. So he was a huge miss for us this season, a massive miss. But credit to him, he’s been a top, top, top professional.”

Continuing on the manner of the Spaniard’s remarkable recovery from such a serious knee injury, Al Mubarak added: “To handle the therapy side of it (Rodri’s ACL recovery), the surgery first, and then the therapy, and then going through these weeks and weeks of difficult recovery, it’s hard on every player.

“And it tells you a lot about the personality some players; some are good and recover well, others not so well, some fast, some slow. Players are humans, everybody is different.

“Rodri, I think, was top notch. Ballon d’Or also, as an injured player, he was just again the best.

“He (Rodri) trained hard, recovered hard, was very disciplined, he wanted to be on the pitch as soon as physically possible.

“But we have to also be careful, the doctors and physios have to be comfortable for him (Rodri). We’re thinking of Rodri for the long-term, we’re thinking of Rodri for his career, and we have to make sure that we play it safe.

“The season is the season, it is what it is, nothing you’re going to change about it. He now fully-fit and he’s ready, and I have no doubt Rodri is going to come back to the heights of the Ballon d’Or year, and more. I’m so excited about him coming back!”