Manchester City star Rodri has fired back at Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar said the midfielder unfairly won the Ballon d’Or in 2024.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo made headlines after making some bold comments at the Globe Soccer Awards gala in Qatar on 27th December. The Al-Nassr star bluntly said the decision to award Rodri the Ballon d’Or was unfair, as Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr. had enjoyed a better campaign.
Ronaldo stated (via The Mirror):
“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.”
Manchester City Star Rodri Surprised By Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or Comments
Rodri, who helped Manchester City become the first Premier League team to win four successive titles and won the European Championship with Spain in 2024, has now responded to Ronaldo’s comments.
Speaking with Diario 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.”
While Rodri pipped Vinicius Jr. to the most sought-after individual accolade in football, Vinicius Jr. did not finish 2024 empty-handed. At the start of December, the Brazilian left-winger won The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award, beating Rodri to the punch. He also came out on top in the Globe Soccer Awards, winning the Best Men’s Player of the Year as well as the Best Forward of the Year.
Ronaldo also took home a shiny trophy, winning the Best Middle East Player award at the Globe Soccer Awards.
Vinicius Jr. has been in fine form in the 2024-25 season. Playing 21 matches for Real Madrid in all competitions, the 24-year-old has scored 14 times and provided 10 assists. Rodri, meanwhile, tore his ACL on Matchday 2 and will unfortunately miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
