Manchester City midfielder and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial remarks about the Ballon d’Or.

Ronaldo, who was named the Best Middle East Player of the Year at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards on Friday, December 27, 2024, sparked debate among football fans with his comments.

The Portuguese captain claimed that Vinícius Júnior, who won both the Best Player and Best Striker awards on the same night, deserved the Ballon d’Or.

He also described the prestigious award as deceptive.

In response, Rodri expressed his surprise and disappointment over Ronaldo’s remarks.

The midfielder reminded the five-time Ballon d’Or winner that he, too, had benefited from the same voting process.

“Ronaldo saying Vinícius deserved the Ballon d’Or? Well, it was a surprise because he knows better than anyone how this award works and how the winner is chosen,” Rodri said.

“This year, the journalists who vote decided that I should win it. Probably, these same journalists were the ones who, at some point, voted for him to win it. I imagine that back then, he would have agreed,” he added.

This isn’t the first time Rodri has spoken out on the ongoing debate months after receiving the Ballon d’Or.

He had previously addressed Real Madrid’s decision not to attend the award ceremony in November 2024.

Rodri claimed his first Ballon d’Or in December 2024, beating competition from Real Madrid trio Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Dani Carvajal.

However, he has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury during Manchester City’s game against Arsenal in September 2024.

FKA/MA