Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr told rival Rodri ‘has already won’ the Ballon d'Or (original) (raw)
Ballon d’Or 2024: Rodri ‘has already won’ award despite Vinicius Jr being favoured
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri has a strong claim to win the Ballon d'Or after winning the Premier League and Euro 2024 - but Vinicius Jr stands in his way
Rodri is hoping to win the Ballon d'Or
Rodri says he feels as though he’s already won the Ballon d’Or due to the overwhelming positivity he’s felt from the public.
The Manchester City midfielder is among the favourites to take home the award after the shortlist was announced earlier this month. Rodri was integral in City's fourth-straight Premier League win last season and then helped Spain beat England to win Euro 2024.
Remarkably, Rodri has not been on the losing side in 90 minutes since March 2023, when Spain lost to Scotland in Euro 2024 qualifying. His case has been backed up by the likes of Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, but Real Madrid star Vincius Junior is the bookies’ favourite after contributing 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across 2023/24 as Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League.
"People say I'm going to fight with Vinicius, who is someone I admire. I think he is a great player,” Rodri told ESPN. "Just being in the conversation makes me very proud of the work I've put in. It will depend a little bit on what people value [when they vote], what they believe, and honestly, there are a lot of players who deserve to win it, so we will see what the decision is.
"But imagine for me, to be in the conversation that the people when I walk into the street, they say to me, ‘you’re going to win the Ballon d'Or, you deserve it’. And for me, that means I am already a winner with this. The people that believe that I can be the best player in the world and telling me these kind of things, for me is incredible. I never dream about this.
"But once you are in this situation, this position, because a lot of years of work, a lot of trust on yourself and the help of all the people, you think about this award and being there is just unbelievable."
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Vinicius Junior is the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or (
Image:
Mark Leech/Getty Images)
History is certainly against Rodri. A male Spanish player hasn't won the Ballon d'Or since Luis Suarez in 1960, with Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez pipped to the trophy by their Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi in 2010, while a defensive midfielder hasn't won it since Germany's Lothar Matthaus in 1990.
Rodri is aware of the history he is against. “What the fans love about football is scoring goals and assists – and I think because of this, it makes the decisions go to the strikers, wingers and forward midfielders,” he told BBC’s Football Focus.
“But people who play that position really think we can value the importance of that role. If this guy makes this team the champion, or win the Treble or whatever, maybe he’s the key part of all of this and maybe he deserves it.
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“I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about lots of players in the past. We all know that in football we play for winning collectively – to win [individual] trophies is a consequence of your work, but it is not our aim. It’s something you love, because they recognise your work.”
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