“Rodri’s on fire”, “Bella ciao” - Rodri celebrates Ballon d'Or win in restaurant with Manchester City teammates and friends
Manchester City midfielder Rodri and his teammates were spotted celebrating the Spaniard's Ballon d'Or win in a restaurant in a recent video that surfaced on the internet. The midfielder became the first Spaniard since Luis Suarez in 1960 to claim the prize on Monday after leaving behind Vinicius Jr. to the prestigious award in Paris.
The 28-year-old has been phenomenal for the reigning English champions since he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a reported €70 million fee. He has gone on to make 260 appearances, bagging 26 goals and 30 assists to help the team to four consecutive league titles, the UEFA Champions League, two League Cups, one FA Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
After winning the prestigious award, Rodri was seen celebrating in a restaurant. He along with his teammates sang and danced together in joy.
Watch the clip here:
Rodri was particularly phenomenal for Manchester City last year, the defensive midfielder played 4327 minutes across 50 games and bagged nine goals and 14 assists. He also helped Spain to EURO 2024 glory in Germany in the summer to help secure his Ballon d'Or crown in Paris.
Rodri is currently laid low with a long-term injury but will be keen to return to the pitch to make another bid for the prestigious award.
"If they want to congratulate, that's fine. If not, that's fine as well" - Manchester City boss unconcerned by Real Madrid complaints about Rodri's Ballon d'Or win
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has cut an unconcerned figure when questioned about Real Madrid's negative reaction to Rodri's Ballon d'Or win on Monday. The Cityzen's midfielder beat out Vinicus Jr to claim the greatest individual prize in football to the annoyance of the Madrid-based delegation who boycotted the event.
The Los Blancos winger was in fine form for the storied Spanish club last season, bagging 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games to help them to the LaLiga and UEFA Champions League titles.
However, Guardiola believes it is up to them to make peace with the result, saying via FotMob:
"It's up to them, If they want to congratulate, that's fine. If not, that's fine as well. At Manchester City, we are not here to judge other clubs on what they decide they have to do. Last year, 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."
The Manchester City boss concluded by pointing out:
"Last season, should Erling have won? Yes. Should Messi have won? Yes. It's not important [who wins]. It represents that you and your team-mates 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 vote, not just one country. There are different opinions, and that's what makes football nice, no?"
Rodri is the first player in Manchester City's history to claim the Ballon d'Or and his success will serve as not just an inspiration to other players at the club, but a mark of how far the club has come in the last decade.