“I would prefer that Real Madrid had been present at the Ballon d’Or gala”

The Spanish footballer from Manchester City Rodri Hernandezwinner of the Ballon d’Or on October 28, He regretted that Real Madrid was not “present” at the galaan act that the white club boycotted when they learned that Vinícius would not be the winner. Furthermore, he explained that you have to “know how to win and also know how to lose.”

“Would I have preferred everyone to be present? Obviously yes. The second, the third, the fourth, etc. were missing. We want the best players on the planet on a night like this. The best team of the year -Real Madrid- did not attend the ceremony despite having the best coach -Carlo Ancelotti- and the top scorer -Kylian Mbappé-. I have to respect everyone’s decision, they do what they want,” he declared in an interview with France Footballwhich grants the award.

Furthermore, he assured that at no time did he hesitate to go to the gala. “When your value is recognized, whether you are a winner or not, it is good to come. In addition, the collective also touches my heart. For example, last year, Erling -Haaland- He had a much better chance of winning than me and I wanted to come support him at that special moment.. Knowing how to win, but also knowing how to lose, is important,” he explained.

The man from Madrid also denied that he knew the final verdict. “I was surprised that everyone asked me, no one told me anything before the ceremony. This decision to not reveal anything until the final verdict is excellent. Specifically, at noon, when we were about to board, we received several messages from friends telling us that Real Madrid would not be coming. My first reaction was: I don’t believe it, it’s just fake news,” he revealed.

The moment they revealed that he was the winner, “many things” went through his “head.” “Compared to last year, This time I felt like I had a real chance and I wanted to hear my name called.. Furthermore, it was special because it was the moment when part of the public shouted another name – that of Vinícius Jr. -. “When I heard George Weah say my name, I covered my face with my hands, I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

In another order of things, Rodri downplayed the words of Frenchman Karim Benzema saying that Vinícius was the real winner. “It’s your opinion, you have the right to think that. Not everyone likes you. I liked a jury of a hundred voters, that’s not bad. Then I also heard Paul Scholes explain the opposite, that he found my game very beautiful and intelligent, and coming from a midfielder like that that means a lot to me. And the only thing I know is that Karim Benzema was a Ballon d’Or winner of an incredible level, I say this because he made us suffer that year,” he said, laughing.

Furthermore, he explained that the fact that a midfielder has won the award shows that “football goes far beyond scoring goals.” “It can encourage children to also be collective actors without thinking that they will necessarily remain in the shadows, that they will not have the recognition they expect. Someone like Dani Carvajal could very well have won the Ballon d’Or. He also deserved it, especially because of the impact he has as a full-back, something theoretically less likely than in a midfielder like me,” he stressed.

He also joked about the campaign of some Spanish sports media, which promoted Vinícius’ candidacy ahead of that of a Spanish footballer. “Welcome to Spain! Maybe it’s due to the fact that there is more of a club culture than a national team culture. But I agree that, When you have two national team players competing to win, it seems logical to cheer them on.. I remember that last year, when Kylian -Mbappé- entered the Châtelet Theatre, there was an impressive clamor from the French public,” he recalled.