Rodri responds to ‘unfair’ Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d’Or claim – with Man City midfielder revealing his ‘surprise’ at Vinicius Junior comment from five-time Golden Ball winner

Five-time Golden Ball winner Ronaldo has suggested, when collecting another prestigious prize at the Globe Soccer Awards, that Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was robbed of the title of best player on the planet after seeing that honour bestowed upon Rodri.

A talismanic presence in Pep Guardiola’s plans at the Etihad Stadium helped City to make history in 2024 as they claimed a fourth successive Premier League title, while he also savoured European Championship glory with his country. Ronaldo has, however, said: “Vinicius Jr should have won the Ballon d’Or, in my opinion it was clear. It was unfair. This is why I love Globe Soccer Awards, they are honest.”

Rodri has aired his surprise at seeing Portuguese icon Ronaldo make such a statement, with the classy holding midfielder telling AS: “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.”

Ronaldo’s ties to Real Madrid – as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer – and City’s arch-rivals at Manchester United could explain why he has sided with Vinicius in the ongoing Ballon d’Or debate. Nobody, though, can take Rodri’s success away from him and he will forever boast an entry in the football history books.