Two weeks after winning the most prestigious award in soccer, Rodri shared which players would have received his votes for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
In a somewhat controversial decision, Rodri beat out Vinícius Júnior to become Manchester City's first Ballon d'Or winner in history. The midfielder earned 41 more votes than the Real Madrid winger, making him just the third player since 2008 to take home the award not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
As Rodri continues to recover from a season-ending ACL injury, the 28-year-old spoke about with COPE radio about his Ballon d'Or win and revealed his personal finalists for this year's award.
"I love that people vote what they feel. It's someone's opinion," Rodri said. "I respect Vinícius hugely, and Real Madrid, and anyone who knows me knows it. I'd vote for Carvajal, and Vinícius too. Maybe Carvajal second."
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Rodri backing Dani Carvajal over Vinícius Júnior is no surprise; the two Spaniards won Euro 2024 together. Carvajal, who is also out for the season with an ACL injury, played 470 minutes of Spain's successful European campaign after winning La Liga, the Champions League and Spanish Super Cup with Real Madrid. Carvajal finished fourth in the official 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings.
Rodri did leave Jude Bellingham, who came third in the official rankings, out of his top three. The England international won all the same trophies as Vinícius Júnior and Carvajal, but fell short with England in the Euro 2024 final.
The City superstar went on to credit his Ballon d'Or win to more than just his trophies. "I believe I was the most consistent player of the season," Rodri said.
In his 2023–24 season, Rodri made 63 appearances for both club and country, recording 12 goals and 15 assists along the way. He created 114 chances for his teammates on both City and Spain.
City also went 27-7-0 with the 28-year-old in the middle of the park and 1-0-3 without. Spain, meanwhile, secured victories in all seven of its matches at Euro 2024.
Perhaps the most telling argument for Rodri's win is how poorly the defending English champions have performed in his absence this season. City went into the November international break on the back of four consecutive defeats, falling to Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth, Sporting CP and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Without its most consistent player, City has a mountain to climb if it wants to secure a fifth-straight Premier League title.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rodri Snubs Vinicius Junior for Teammate in Personal Ballon d'Or Rankings.
