“He knows better than anyone” – Rodri hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d’Or criticism | OneFootball

“He knows better than anyone” – Rodri hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d’Or criticism | OneFootball

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·13 janvier 2025

“He knows better than anyone” – Rodri hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d’Or criticism

Image de l'article :“He knows better than anyone” – Rodri hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d’Or criticism

Manchester City’s history-making Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri has hit back at Cristiano Ronaldo over his recent comments regarding the Spaniard’s success last year.

The Spain international made history earlier on in the ongoing season by becoming the first defensive midfielder since 1990 and Germany icon Lothar Matthaus to claim the illustrious Ballon d’Or prize.


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It was the perfect ending to a sensational calendar year for the Manchester City anchor, who had played integral roles for both the four-time successive Premier League champions and his country across competitions.

Making history in the Premier League, Rodri was also named Player of the Tournament at the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA European Championships with Spain as he and his national teammates defeated England in a showpiece final in Berlin.

However, the decision from journalists across countries from all over the world to award the Ballon d’Or to Rodri created huge anger from within the Real Madrid camp in particular, after Vinicius Jr failed to claim the award he had seemingly been anticipating.

Quizzed during his appearance at the latest edition of the Globe Soccer awards, football legend Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that Real Madrid’s Brazilian superstar was the more deserving recipient ahead of Rodri when it came to the Ballon d’Or.

And since then, the Manchester City star has had opportunity to respond to the Portuguese icon, to which he said during an exclusive interview with AS, “Well, it’s a surprise, really, because he knows better than anyone how this award works and how the winner is chosen.”

Rodri continued, “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.”

Speaking on the impact that his Ballon d’Or success has had, Rodri said, “It has changed my life. I talked about it with those around me. Maybe I wasn’t aware of it when I won it, but it has changed my life. The magnitude of going out on the street is no longer the same.

“Many things that I could do before, I obviously can’t anymore. But well, it’s for a good reason, it’s because of the recognition that I’ve had and that has been so important for me and my family. It’s an unforgettable moment.”

Rodri may yet feature again for City and Spain this season as he told a recent interview that his aim would be to play football at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, despite a lengthy and ongoing recovery from a double knee injury sustained in September.

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