“He will realise” – Rodri sends fresh message to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr over Ballon d’Or triumph

Manchester City’s history-making defensive midfielder Rodri has issued a fresh message in the direction of Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid.

The Spain international became the first player in his natural position to claim the Ballon d’Or prize since 1990, when Germany and overall football legend Lothar Matthaus took home the crown of being the best footballer on the planet.

For Rodri, this title capped off a remarkable individual and collective year for both Manchester City and Spain, having claimed a fourth successive Premier League title and the European Championship honour with his country within a matter of weeks.

But many have been keen to point out that the 2024 achievements were merely a culmination of successive campaigns for both club and country where Rodri has been at the very peak of his powers and offering a vital role for his teams.

However, those performances were not enough to convince those at Real Madrid that his success was deserved, as Los Blancos boycotted the ceremony in support of Vinicius Jr – whom they felt was the deserving winner instead.

Speaking during a recent conversation with Spanish broadcaster El Larguero, as translated and relayed by MailSport, Manchester City’s Rodri joked that he had held a FaceTime call with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr in light of the club’s Ballon d’Or boycott.

“Any call from Vinicius Jr after the Ballon d’Or? Yeah, a FaceTime call… (laughs). No, nothing. We didn’t speak,” Rodri joked.

The Manchester City midfielder continued, “No messages from Real Madrid, they did not come to the gala so obviously it’d make no sense to text me after.”

“I think Vini is a smart guy and with time he will realise that the more you pay attention on the field, the better you will be. Athletes are not just what they represent on the field, but also off it,” Rodri closed.

Rodri remains at the centre of a long running recovery process from a double knee injury sustained during Manchester City’s eventual 2-2 draw with Arsenal in Premier League action back in September.

Whilst the belief is that the Spaniard will be ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing campaign, Rodri himself believes that a target of a return to action before the end of the season remains a possibility.

Manchester City will find out their group stage opponents for the expanded and revamped FIFA Club World Cup tournament in the United States later this week, and that competition may be the more realistic target of a return for Rodri.