Oleksandr Zinchenko snubs Ballon d'Or favorite and ex-Manchester City teammate Rodri as he names ‘best holding midfielder’ he ever played with
Former Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has picked Thomas Partey over Ballon d'Or contender Rodri as the best holding midfielder he has played with. The Ukrainian international and Rodri played together for three years between 2019 and 2022 before he left the reigning English champions to join Arsenal.
The duo played 66 matches together, combining for one goal and winning the Premier League thrice. However, Zinchenko believes Partey, who he has played with for two seasons in north London is a superior holding midfielder. The defender has played alongside the Ghanian 32 times but is yet to win any silverware with his teammate.
The versatile full-back revealed it was not an easy choice to make but picked his current teammate over the Ballon d'Or contender, saying (via FIVE):
"I had the debate in my head, who is the best holding midfielder I've played with. I chose Thomas Partey."
The Arsenal duo will be hoping to end Manchester City's four-year reign at the top of English football this season after coming close in their two previous campaigns.
Premier League legend believes Manchester City's Rodri deserves Ballon d'Or
Premier League icon Alan Shearer believes Manchester City's Rodri deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. The Spaniard was vital to the Manchester-based club claiming a fourth consecutive title in the 2023-24 campaign and helped Spain win a fourth European Championship in the summer.
In his column for BetFair, Shearer wrote:
"For this year, there's only one winner for me and it's Rodri for what he's done and what he's achieved in the last year. I know Real Madrid are a huge football club, are huge in the world of football, and Vinicius Junior and Bellingham are rightfully in the mix this year. But I think with what Rodri's done for Man City and Spain, I'd be amazed if he didn't win the Ballon d'Or."
The midfielder was impressive last season for club and country. He bagged nine goals and 14 assists in 50 games for the Cityzens before featuring six times and scoring once for Spain at the 2024 Euros.