Manchester City coach Pep Guariola said the club’s midfielder and Spain international Rodri deservedly won the Ballon d’Or, refusing to criticize Real Madrid for appearing that he took into account the awards ceremony held yesterday, Monday, saying that the decision is up to them.
“The whole team and the fans are proud of him,” Guardiola said a day before against Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the League Cup tomorrow, Wednesday. player to win this prestigious award.”
Rodri (28 years old), who led Manchester City to win the English Premier League for the fourth time in a row last season as well as leading the Spanish national team to the Championship won to win Europe, the race to win the Ballon d’Or, ahead. of the Real Madrid duo of Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
When Guardiola was asked about his thoughts on Real Madrid canceling their trip to attend the ceremony in Paris in case Vinicius Junior didn’t win the award, Guardiola shrugged his shoulders, saying, “It’s up to them to congratulate (Rodri), that’s fine, and if they don’t want to do that, that’s fine.”
He said, “We at Manchester City are not here to judge the actions of other clubs.”
Guardiola (right) shakes hands with Real coach Ancelotti (Reuters)
The Spanish coach pointed out that Norway striker Erling Haaland attended last year’s ceremony as one of the candidates to win it after scoring “more than 50 goals and winning the treble”, only to miss out on the Ballon d’Or ultimately to Argentine Lionel Messi. .
Guardiola said, “I told Haaland that his presence alone (among the candidates) should make him happy, and I told Rodri the same thing last season, Haaland deserved to win, he .
He said, “(The award) is decided by a vote of journalists. It is not a group of elites who vote, but people from all over the world who do so, not one country. There are different opinions, and that’s what makes football great, right?”
Guardiola explained that Vinicius Junior also deserved to win, and congratulated Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti for receiving the best coach award.
“This event should be fun, and people should accept the results,” he said.
2024-10-29 18:37:00
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