Rodri Criticizes Real Madrid's Boycott of Ballon d'Or Ceremony

Manchester City midfielder, Rodri, expressed his disapproval for Real Madrid's decision to boycott the Ballon d'Or ceremony in October after he won the award over Vinícius Júnior. A fierce competition had been anticipated between the two players, but Vinícius, along with the rest of the Madrid squad and executives, declined to attend the ceremony in Paris, once it was clear he was not the winner.

Speaking on "The Rest is Football" podcast, Rodri shared: "Well, it's a decision of individuals or clubs in general to decide what to do. I can't respect that decision. I always said I wouldn't do the same."

A strong contender for the men's prize, Vinícius Júnior had been critical in Madrid achieving a LaLiga and Champions League double last season. However, neither he nor the other Madrid nominees--eight in total across various awards--attended the event.

Despite missing Madrid's presence, awards were still earmarked for them. Madrid were honoured as the men's team of the year and Carlo Ancelotti was recognized as the coach of the year, although there were no representatives from the club to receive the awards.

On the matter, Rodri added: "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."

Just before the ceremony, Rodri had sustained an ACL injury in a Premier League match against Arsenal and will be out of action for the near future. The midfielder remains positive: "My target is to come back this season. I think in terms of my mentality it's going to be positive for me to not give up the season and throw it. I don't want to rush, I don't want to make mistakes. But that's my mentality. The physios will guide and dictate."