Spanish midfielder Rodrigo has been ruled out of the tournament. Manchester CityThe possibility of him winning the Golden Ball is due to the nature of his roles on the “field”, as fans tend to prefer players who score and create goals, not a “defensive midfielder” as he described it.
Rodri presented a distinguished level last season 2023-24, and was the “unknown soldier” who helped Manchester City retain the English Premier League title, and the Spanish national team crowned the Euro 2024 title.
Rodri said in statements reported by the newspaper:Mundo Deportivo“Spanish: “The Ballon d’Or?! We are not the favorite of marketing or fans!”
“They like those who score and create, so the award goes to the strikers, the wingers and the attacking midfielders,” the 28-year-old midfielder continued. “I said after the Euro final that I would like a Spanish player to win the Ballon d’Or, we deserve it after all these years.”
He added: “We went through the best period in our history and we did not win the award because of Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi, it’s hard to say that the duo wasn’t the best, but now we have the best players and we play the best football and Spain deserves the credit.”
“Let’s see what happens! It’s something I can’t control, whatever comes will be accepted and I’ll be grateful to be part of this discussion, it’s a dream indeed; whatever comes, I’ll accept it,” the former Atletico Madrid player added.
Rodri was asked why it is so difficult to win the Champions League, and he said: “You need experience to know how to win the Champions League and we have that experience now. It is not about playing well or being the best on paper, it is a competition of the moments, and you have to be solid and not concede goals, while being effective in attack.”
Rodri cites Real Madrid’s Champions League success
“Look at Real Madrid in a match against Liverpool! (The first leg of the 2022-23 round of 16 at Anfield) They were trailing (2-0) and their faces didn’t show any concern. I told one of my colleagues at the time: Look at their faces, they were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to turn the result around, no need to worry.'”
“This kind of calm comes from experience, but this is a complicated competition, when you win it you know how difficult it is, when we won the final we were better on paper, but in the match they (Inter Milan) could have won, we won because of the details… so, yes it is very difficult.”
Regarding his role with the team, he revealed: “My role is very big. I am the player who bears the most responsibility on the field. You have to make sure that the team is working, and that no one is lazy or distracted. When the team is not working, part of the responsibility falls on you.”
“On the pitch I’m like a coach, except I’m not Pep (Guardiola), right? Pep over-analyses situations, I’m simpler than that, it’s about the system. It’s something I’ve learned, my first year here I was a disaster, I didn’t know what Pep was talking about, I just asked him to let me play football. It’s something you learn to deal with.”
“I’m not fast, I’m not good at dribbling, I’m not good at playing on the wing… I’m just a midfielder, that’s something I’ve known since I was six or seven years old. It’s always been my position. You receive the ball under pressure, with your back to goal. That’s what modern football demands and what Pep demands of us. Sometimes we take risks and make mistakes in passing, and that’s what I do too. Pep never blames us for making a mistake, but for not being brave, or not doing what we’ve been trained for. He tells us that he doesn’t really care if we miss a goal, he wants us to be brave enough to do a dribble, to try different things. That’s the kind of character that Pep likes.”
