"Incredible news for him and of course for all of us” - Manchester City's Pep Guardiola sends message to Rodri following Ballon d'Or win
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has sent a heartfelt message to Rodri after the Spaniard won the 2024 Ballon d'Or on Monday, October 28. The win at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris also made Rodri the first Manchester City player to win the Ballon d'Or. Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham were the other two who got a podium finish.
Rodri was one of the standout performers in Pep Guardiola's side last season, winning the Premier League, Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup with The Cityzens. Rodri complemented Pep Guardiola's style perfectly, orchestrating the midfield with his impeccable ball distribution skills. The Spaniard was also immune to the opposition's press - a key attribute seen in defensive midfielders in Guardiola's setup over the years.
The Spaniard recorded an impressive 121.1 touches per game with a passing accuracy of 92% in the Premier League last season. Furthermore, he was key to breaking the opposition's rhythm, averaging 6.9 balls recovered per game in the 2023-24 season of the Premier League.
Finally, Rodri was the Player of the Tournament of a star-studded Spanish side that won the Euro 2024.
(It is important to note that the abovementioned stats are taken from Sofascore. The site may change the data as per its prerogative.)
Acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano shared Pep Guardiola's message for Rodri on X. The Spaniard said (via @FabrizioRomano on X):
“Congratulations to Rodri! It's incredible news for him and of course for all of us, for all Man City, our fans - we are so proud of him! Hopefully, it can give him this energy to recover well for next season to be with us again!”
Rodri is currently recovering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury that is expected to keep him out of action for the remainder of the season.
Manchester City veteran Ilkay Gundogan congratulates Rodri after Ballon d'Or win
Manchester City's star midfielder Ilkay Gundogan lavished praise on teammate Rodri after the latter's Ballon d'Or win. The two have shared the pitch a total of 153 times in their careers for Manchester City, recording one joint goal participation against Aston Villa in the EFL Cup final in the 2019-20 season. Manchester City won the game 2-1.
Gundogan took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate his midfield partner, writing:
"From today on he is finally not 'underrated' anymore 😜 Congratulations to my teammate Rodri on winning the Ballon d'Or! For me this is very well deserved! I'm especially happy that someone on a defensive position is winning this title and not always just the offensive players!"
After the quip, he raved about the Spaniard, adding:
"Rodri is the perfect midfielder and there's no one that plays his position better than he does - there are so many clubs in Europe that are looking for a world class holding midfielder, but in the end there's only him! What a development in recent years!"
The two won the Champions League title in the 2022-23 season, with Rodri scoring the decisive goal in their 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final.