Rodri sends heartfelt message to Real Madrid star after Ballon d'Or win

Ballon d'Or winner Rodri made sure to give special mention to Spain colleague Dani Carvajal after being named the world's best footballer in Paris on Monday night.

The Manchester City midfielder was well-fancied because of a stellar 2023/24 campaign that saw him win the Premier League for a fourth year in a row, before playing a pivotal role in Spain's first European Championship triumph since 2012.

But it still came as something of a shock given that Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior had been the overwhelming favourite for months. When it emerged just hours before that the Brazilian most likely wasn't going to win, he and the club stunningly boycotted the ceremony altogether.

That meant Carvajal, who finished fourth in the final standings behind Rodri, Vinicius and Jude Bellingham, wasn't present either. But Rodri wanted to make sure the full-back was acknowledged, having outstripped the three players who finished above him in major trophy triumphs in 2024.

"I want to remember Carvajal, who has suffered the same injury as me and deserves to be here just like me," Rodri told Movistar+, referencing both players currently being sidelined with ACL tears.

"And to someone who will be here soon, Lamine [Yamal]," he added.

"Today is not a victory for me, it is for Spanish football. So many players who have not won it and have deserved it, like [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi, Iker [Casillas], [Sergio Busquets], like so many others, it is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder."

Rodri became the first player born in the 1990s to win the Ballon d'Or, a bizarre anomaly in the award's recent history given the overwhelming dominance by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as the first defensive midfielder to triumph. Occasional centre-backs and even a goalkeeper have received it before, but never a 'number six' in an award almost always won by attacking players.

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