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Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri has a strong claim to win the Ballon d'Or after winning the Premier League and Euro 2024.
Rodri is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or 2024, alongside Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
Both stars had an outstanding 2023-24 season, with Vinicius leading Real Madrid to the LaLiga and UEFA Champions League titles, while Rodri was City's best player in a title-winning campaign and Spain's best player as they won EURO 2024 this summer.
Rodri's impact is keenly felt at Manchester City, as he has been on the losing side just once (inside 90 minutes) since March 2023, and continues to be Guardiola's most trusted star.
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09:03 - 19.10.2024
He is the winner — Real Madrid legend makes bold pick for 2024 Ballon d'Or
Real Madrid and Brazil legend Marcelo has predicted the winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
Rodri believes he has already won Ballon d'Or
"People say I'm going to fight with Vinicius, who is someone I admire. I think he is a great player,” Rodri told ESPN.
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"Just being in the conversation makes me very proud of the work I've put in. It will depend a little bit on what people value [when they vote], and what they believe, and honestly, there are a lot of players who deserve to win it, so we will see what the decision is.
"But imagine for me, to be in the conversation that the people when I walk into the street, they say to me, ‘you’re going to win the Ballon d'Or, you deserve it’. And for me, that means I am already a winner with this.
"The people that believe that I can be the best player in the world and telling me these kinds of things, for me is incredible. I never dream about this.
It's worth noting that the current Ballon d'Or holder is Lionel Messi, who has won the award a record-breaking eight times and it will be interesting to see if Rodri can indeed follow in his footsteps.
The Ballon d'Or winner will be announced in October.
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