Rodri Manchester City
The Manchester City midfielder Rodri used his acceptance speech to express gratitude to his loved ones and provide an update on his injury after winning the Men’s Ballon d’Or. Rodri entered the ceremony as the favorite due to Real Madrid’s decision to boycott the event. The Spanish club claimed they knew their winger Vinicius Jr. was not going to win, which they perceived as ‘disrespect,’ leading to their absence. This prediction turned out to be accurate as Rodri finished ahead of Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Dani Carvajal to claim the prestigious award. City teammate Erling Haaland secured the fifth position.
Rodri said, “I always said one of my key things is to improve every day. I was a traditional midfielder but I knew I needed to be better in the final third—that’s why I have improved there. That is the modern holding midfield role; you have to be like a striker because you play in the frontal area. I try to be the best version of myself every day. I try to be a leader and learn every day from the best. I am a very calm person until I get upset. I am just a normal guy; you don’t have to be crazy. I would like to thank God.”
When host Didier Drogba inquired about his injury,
Rodri said, “I am just trying to take care of myself after my injury, spend time with my family, rest a little bit.”
In the first part of his speech, which was delivered in Spanish, Rodri took the opportunity to pay tribute to Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, claiming that Yamal would win one of these trophies someday. I will celebrate with the people who love me and those who were with me in the bad moments,” before adding that he would likely sleep with the trophy that night.
Reflecting on Rodri’s achievement, City’s outgoing director of football,
Txiki Begiristain said “Everyone at Manchester City will quite rightly feel very proud tonight. Rodri is our first-ever winner of this award, and he totally deserves that honor. The consistency he has shown is the result of hard work and dedication. He is a perfect professional, a person who approaches every single training session with the right attitude. He wants to be the best and he is prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to make that a reality. The club is also proud to have had so many other players shortlisted for this award. To have so many players in contention for this prize is further evidence we are living through an incredible period in Manchester City’s history.”
