Carlo Ancelotti claims Rodri should have won 2023 Ballon d'Or over Lionel Messi as he defends Real Madrid's reaction to Vinicius Junior snub

The Ballon d’Or gala in Paris last October was noticeably missing any representatives from Real Madrid. The club deliberately avoided the event because they believed Vinicius Junior should have won the award, rather than Rodri. Ancelotti himself missed out on receiving his Coach of the Year award in person due to the boycott, but he remains unapologetic.

Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Manchester City, Ancelotti maintained that Rodri was the standout player of 2023 rather than 2024, highlighting his role in City’s historic treble-winning campaign as worthy of a Golden Ball nod ahead of Inter Miami star Messi.

"I don’t think our decision was wrong (on Real Madrid's boycott)," Ancelotti told reporters. "We believed Vinicius was the best player last year. That doesn’t mean we don’t respect Rodri, because he is an outstanding player, but I feel he should have won the Ballon d’Or in 2023."

Rodri was instrumental in City’s Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League triumphs in 2022-23, even scoring the decisive goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. Despite his contributions, Messi won the Ballon d'Or for a record eighth time in 2023, largely due to his World Cup heroics with Argentina in late 2022.

While Rodri will miss the upcoming Champions League round of 16 playoff match between City and Real due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Vinicius Junior is expected to lead Los Blancos' attack alongside Kylian Mbappe. However, Madrid are dealing with a major defensive crisis, as Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Dani Carvajal are all sidelined, which forced Ancelotti to admit that the squad is in “emergency” mode ahead of taking on Erling Haaland and Co.