Rodri makes his choice! Barcelona star snubs Kylian Mbappe as he names the six stars who 'absolutely deserve' the Ballon d'Or

Rodri has outlined his preferences for the upcoming 2026 Ballon d'Or. Following Spain's historic World Cup triumph, the 30-year-old insists the prestigious individual honour must go to a member of La Roja. Speaking to El Partidazo de COPE, the former City star revealed his six-man shortlist for the award. Unsurprisingly, his selection consists entirely of his international team-mates.

Rodri did not hold back when championing the cause of his compatriots. He listed Marc Cucurella, Pau Cubarsi, Fabian Ruiz, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and himself as the rightful nominees.

"What I would really like is for a Spaniard to win it," Rodri stated. "There are six of us [nominated]: Cucurella, Cubarsi, Rodri, Ruiz, Lamine, and Ferran. I can tell you that, individually, every one of them absolutely deserves the Ballon d'Or. I think all my team-mates have solid arguments."

Rodri specifically highlighted what makes each Spanish candidate so special. He noted that Ruiz secured the most collective titles throughout the demanding campaign.

He also praised his younger Barca team-mates, commending Cubarsi for his incredible achievements at just 19 years old and labelling Yamal as simply "incredible." Meanwhile, he credited Torres for scoring the decisive goal when it mattered most.

"Fabian Ruiz is the one who has won the most titles," he added. "Cubarsi, for what he has achieved at just 19 years old. Ferran scored the decisive goal. As for me, I was named Player of the Tournament. And Lamine is incredible."

By focusing entirely on his triumphant Spanish peers, Rodri notably excluded some of world football's biggest attacking names from his list of favourites. Global heavyweights such as Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Ousmane Dembele were all completely omitted from the conversation.

Despite ignoring their obvious goalscoring credentials, the 30-year-old admitted he fully understood the massive media campaigns surrounding these elite forwards. "I think it's great that they consider themselves the best in the world," he calmly stated.