Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested that Real Madrid should be "satisfied" with having three of their players in the top four of the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting, even though they were all pipped by winner Rodri.
On Monday night, Rodri was announced as the 68th winner of football's most prestigious individual award at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, making him the first Man City player to ever receive the accolade.
Rodri, who is currently sidelined for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, collected his award after being voted as the best player in the world by a panel of journalists from the 100 top-ranking nations ahead of Los Blancos trio Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, who finished second, third and fourth respectively.
After reports emerged that Vinicius Junior - one of the frontrunners along with Rodri to win the Ballon d'Or - would not be claiming the top prize, all Real Madrid representatives decided to boycott the ceremony.
The Spanish giants have since criticised the Ballon d'Or organisers and UEFA for a 'lack of respect' after Vinicius Junior lost out to Rodri, while the Brazilian winger himself has made a vow to win the award in the future.
Real Madrid still ended the night with two awards - Coach of the Year (Carlo Ancelotti) and Club of the Year - but no one from the club was present at the ceremony to receive those accolades on stage.
© Imago
Guardiola: 'Man City will not judge other clubs'
Reacting to Real Madrid's decision to snub the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Guardiola told reporters: "Nothing to say. If they want to go, it's fine, if they don't, it's fine.
"If they want to congratulate, it's fine, if they don't, it's fine. We at Man City are not here to judge what other clubs decide what other clubs do."
Guardiola added: "Last season for example, Erling [Haaland] won the treble, scored more than 50 goals. I said to him 'just being there, you have to be so happy'. I said the same to Rodri. If you are in the first two, three or four, it's exceptional. You have to be so satisfied.
"Last season, should Erling have won? Yes. Should [Lionel] Messi have won? Yes. It's not important [who wins]. It represents that you and your teammates have done something really nice that season.
"Should it be Vinicius? Maybe. It's [voted by] journalists, you know, not an elite group of people who decide. It's [people] all around the world that votes, not just one country. There are different opinions, and that's what makes football nice, no?"
Guardiola has also congratulated Rodri for receiving his Ballon d'Or award and becoming the first Spaniard in over 60 years to claim the prestigious individual prize.
"Congratulations to him and all his family and friends," said the Catalan coach. "It's incredible news for him and of course for all of us, all at City and our fans. We're so proud of him. It's the first time.
© Imago
Guardiola: 'Spanish football has made such a difference'
"We could never have imagined years ago that our player would receive this prestigious award. We are so delighted to be part of it and to share it with him and yes, hopefully it can give him energy to recover well for next season and be with us again."
"Rodri made an incredible speech," Guardiola added. "He spoke about family, Man City and Spanish football. In the last decade, Spanish football has made such a difference - they've won a World Cup, a Euros - and Spain were never able to win this award before.
"Their importance in the last 10 or 15 years has been so important. I remember once we nominated three players from La Masia. Xavi and [Andreas] Iniesta couldn't win it because Messi's a monster and nobody could beat him - just Cristiano [Ronaldo]. He's a monster and the father of the monster is Messi."
Rodri, who has claimed that "Spanish football has won" just as much as him, has been recognised for his hugely influential role in Guardiola's Man City side that won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title in 2023-24.
The Spain international was also named Player of the Tournament following a triumphant Euro 2024 campaign, and he contributed with 12 goals and 13 assists in 58 appearances for club and country last season, remarkably losing just one game in the process.
Oliver Thomas
