Rodri (Manchester City), the protagonist of the 2024 Ballon d'Or, was a strong candidate for the award, but Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), who remained in second place, insisted that he would have been placed lower.
Rodri said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster 'Cope' on the 13th (Korea Standard Time) that he would have placed Vinicius in third place.
Rodri said in an interview, "I felt a little disbelief when half of the audience shouted 'Vinius, Vinicius!' ahead of the trophy. Later, the audience all stood up and applauded, so I felt respect for me."
He added, "The Ballon d'Or rewarded me for my consistency, which is the most difficult thing in football. Whether I deserved it or not is not someone I can say. I thought I could get it because I had a great season with Manchester City in 2023, and I think I did better this year."
Rodri also explained, "When you win this award, your life will be a little different, before and after the award. I got congratulations from many people, and one of the most interesting people is Iniesta. He told me that I should get the Ballon d'Or because I was the best soccer player in the history of my country."
Rodri further revealed that if he had the right to vote, Vinicius Junior would have been third. "I would have chosen Dani Carvajal as second and Vinicius as third," he said.
Rodri won the men's Ballon d'Or award at the 2023-2024 French Football Ballon d'Or Awards held at Teatre du Chatelein in Paris on April 29. It was the first Ballon d'Or award in her career and the first Ballon d'Or that a Manchester City player received.
The men's Ballon d'Or category was left at the end of the ceremony. Former Liberian President George Weah, the first winner of Africa, who was the winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1995, attended the ceremony.
Four finalists for the Ballon d'Or were Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), including Rodri.
However, with all of the Real's players absent from the ceremony, Rodri's chances of winning the prize soared to 99 percent. Finally, a "Rodri" burst out of George Weah's mouth.
Rodri was on crutches for the podium due to his injury. "It's a hell of a night," he said after tears. "I want to thank so many people. I'm so grateful to be here again this year for France Football and UEFA. I also want to thank everyone who voted for me and everyone who believed in me." 메이저놀이터
Vinicius, who missed the ceremony, was second, Jude Bellingham third and Dani Carvajal fourth.
Rodri has written the history of being the first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or. Having grown up in Atletico Madrid and Villarreal (Spain), he moved to Manchester City in 2019 for a whopping 70 million euros (about 104.7 billion won).