Rodri admits he was taken aback by shouts in the room at the Ballon d'Or for the award to be given to Vinicius Jr after Real Madrid decision not to attend the gala event - but isn't losing any sleep over it after taking home the award himself.
The Manchester City midfielder was named as the best player in the world for 2023/24 last month after winning the Premier League with his club and playing a key role in Spain's victory at Euro 2024.
However, European champions Real Madrid acted as if the award had been bizarrely given to a League One journeyman or something. Taking mortal offence at the idea that other clubs also have very good players who might occasionally receive recognition, Real cancelled their plans to travel to France for the award show after seemingly getting wind the Ballon d'Or would not be going to either Vinicius Jr or Dani Carvajal.
Rodri unperturbed by the lack of Real Madrid presence
Rodri quite reasonably could not care less, however, telling COPE Radio: "Why would it hurt me? It was my moment to enjoy with my family. The last thing I'd be thinking about is people who weren't there and didn't want to participate."
He added: “It didn’t hurt me they weren’t present. I have to respect everyone’s decision, although I wouldn’t have acted the same way. But they do what they want.
“I felt a bit of disbelief when, at the time of the presentation of the trophy, half the room shouted ‘Vinicius, Vinicius!’ In any case, there was a lot of respect for me from the audience because afterwards they all stood up and applauded me.
“I would vote for Carvajal second, and yeah, Vinicius third. I never disrespected anyone - and I truly respect Vinicius and Real Madrid.
"People have to understand healthy sportsmanship. In the end, it’s a private party, a moment when you’re not thinking about anything else.
"I didn’t miss Vinicius not congratulating me. I care about my people, my family and my club. I wouldn’t have done what Real Madrid did by not showing up to the gala, but there’s no point thinking about it any more."
Rodri has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered against Arsenal in September.
The midfielder narrowly beat Vinicius Jr to the award by 1170 voting points to 1129, with Jude Bellingham coming third with 917. The Ballon d’Or award voted for by a representative journalist from the top 100 countries in the FIFA Men’s Ranking. Each member of the jury selects and ranks ten players from the official longlist, with their top selection receiving 15 points and their tenth selection receiving one point
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