Manchester City midfielder Rodri has said he does not understand why Cristiano Ronaldo questioned his selection as the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, said Vinícius Júnior deserved the award over Rodri because the Real Madrid striker “won the Champions League and scored in the final.”
Asked about Ronaldo's comments, Rodri told Diario AS: “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 considered that I should win. Probably, those same journalists were the ones who at some point voted for him to win, and I imagine that they would later agree.”
Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris in October after Rodri received the award instead of Vinícius.
Rodri, 28, received the prestigious individual award after a stellar season in which he won the Premier League with City and the European Championship with Spain.
Vinícius had been one of the leading candidates to win the men's award after helping Madrid to a double in LaLiga and the Champions League last season. The Brazil international was later awarded The Best FIFA Player Award and won Globe Soccer's Best Player Award on December 30.
Rodri, who tore his ACL in September, spoke about the impact winning the Ballon d'Or has had on his daily life.
“It's changed my life,” he said. “Many things that I could do before, obviously, I can't do anymore. But hey, it's for a good reason… I have the philosophy that in life you have to take things as they are given to you.
“You don't have to complain when things don't go your way or go crazy when you win a Ballon d'Or. God has given me what he has given me and I am very grateful. I have to face everything, even injuries, and move forward.” .
