Manchester City Star Rodri Says He ‘Cannot Respect’ Real Madrid After Ballon d’Or Snub

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has expressed that he has lost “respect” for Spanish club Real Madrid after they snubbed the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Rodri was named the best player in the world at the October ceremony, a result that surprised many, as many had expected Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr to take home the accolade.

However, upon hearing that Rodri had won the prestigious award, both Real Madrid and Vinicius chose not to attend the event at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

The Spanish giants had hoped that, if their Brazilian forward Vinicius Jnr wasn’t awarded the Ballon d’Or, right-back Dani Carvajal might receive the honor after winning La Liga, the Champions League, and the Euros.

However, when it was revealed that Rodri was the winner, Real Madrid reacted angrily, prohibiting club representatives from attending the ceremony.

Rodri has now hit back at Madrid’s stance, expressing that he “cannot respect” the club’s decision to boycott the prestigious event in Paris.

‘I can’t describe the emotion [of winning the Ballon d’Or]. In my generation [we] only see two guys winning the trophy [Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo],’ he said.

‘I cannot respect the decision [of Madrid] not to turn up to the ceremony,’ 

‘In sport and in life, it’s important to win. But I think even more how to lose, and I say always the same – it was my moment, I didn’t want to speak about others.

‘They didn’t want to be there – I want to be with my club, with my family, the people that were there and clapped me, and that was a fantastic moment,’ he added.