'Carvajal second' - Rodri fires fresh jibe at Vinicius Jr after Ballon d'Or fallout
Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d'Or ahead of Real Madrid pair Vinicius Jr and Dani Carvajal.
Rodri has weighed in on the Ballon d'Or fallout with Real Madrid by suggesting Vinicius Jr was not even his closest rival for the prestigious award.
Rodri became the first Manchester City player and first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or recently, pipping Vinicius to the anger of Real Madrid - who boycotted the ceremony in protest at what they saw as a grave injustice.
However, Rodri insists that he was deserving of the award because of his consistency over the last two years, and suggested that Spain teammate Dani Carvajal was more likely to win than Vinicius because of his role in winning Euro 2024 in the summer.
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He told COPE: “I think consistency - I believe that’s the hardest thing in football. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back; when I haven’t been the best, I’ve said so. When I thought someone else deserved it, I’ve acknowledged that too. I believe I was the most consistent player that season.
“Maybe not with the highest peaks, and perhaps last season I had more important or standout moments, but in terms of consistency, I think so. But what do I know? It’s not for me to debate whether I deserved it or not.
"In 2023 I thought I could win it for my great season at City and this year I think I did even better.”
On the Real Madrid boycott, Rodri accepted that he couldn't ignore the developments on the night, saying he wouldn't have acted the same way had he not won.
He also addressed another controversy levelled at him - that he dared to celebrate his victory rather than quietly ignore his award out of respect to Vinicius. One video appeared to show him mock Vinicius during an after-party, but he was unmoved by the backlash from Madrid.
“It didn’t hurt me that 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,” he said.
“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 [Dani] Carvajal second, and yeah, Vinicius third. I never disrespected anyone, and I truly respect Vinicius and Real Madrid.
"People have to understand that 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 in thinking about it any more."