Manchester United legend Paul Scholes says Manchester City midfielder Rodri fully deserved to win the Ballon d’Or.
The award was shrouded in controversy after Real Madrid snubbed the ceremony following the decision to overlook Vinicius Jr but, speaking on The Overlap (via The Mirror), Scholes insists the right call was made:
“Rodri fully deserves it for all he’s done. He’s lost one game in the calendar year. Rodri is a better footballer than Vinicius Jr. Vinicius Jr will probably win you more games, he’ll be more skilful, but Rodri is a beautiful footballer. “That position, especially where he plays, in that Spanish position where Pep Guardiola used to play and all these great players in there like Sergio Busquets, they make your team play brilliant football.”
When asked to compare Rodri to other holding midfielders and whether he is the best to ever play the position, Scholes replied:
“Yes [he is the best], but Roy [Keane] did everything as a midfield player. Rodri is a playmaker as well. He starts the play. There was times when Vinicius Jr wasn’t [effective], but there was never a time when Rodri wasn’t effective for his team.”
Scholes knows a thing or two about great midfielders
As the former England international mentioned, he played alongside Roy Keane for many years at United, but he still believes that Rodri surpasses the Irishman.
Scholes also went up against a legendary holding midfielder in Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira so his words about Rodri carry a lot of weight.
Rodri’s unbeaten run with City cannot be underestimated
The Spanish international’s 74-game unbeaten streak for City was a historical achievement.
It surpassed the record set by AC Milan legends Paolo Maldini and Demetrio Albertini, who had jointly held the longest unbeaten record in European football history.
The loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup final last season ended the run, but Rodri then went on to win Euro 2024 with Spain.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here