Rodri reveals belief that football is ‘recognising his work’ as Ballon d’Or chase labelled as ‘a dream’ | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Rodri has admitted that winning the Ballon d’Or this year would be ‘a dream’ for him, with people starting to recognise his work.

The Spaniard is coming into another competitive season off the back of an exemplary campaign for both club and country in terms of silverware won and the vital nature of his performances.

For Manchester City, Rodri was once again integral to a Premier League title triumph, aiding his club in their record-breaking achievement of winning a fourth consecutive English top-flight title.

For Spain, it was European Championship glory for Rodri and his country, as they defeated England in the final of the competition over the summer in Berlin, with the defensive midfielder also being crowned Player of the Tournament.

Speaking during a press conference ahead of Manchester City’s return to action in the UEFA Champions League this week, Rodri was quizzed on his thoughts around being nominated for the Ballon d’Or prize and being discussed as a clear favourite for the award.

“Well, to be honest, I’m very, very happy for everything that happened to me in the last years, winning what we won and, in the last summer, winning with my country is just a dream,” said the 28-year-old.

“It’s a consequence of the hard work, and consistency, and never giving up, these kind of things. I would say that individual awards are just a consequence of the work. I really feel right now that the people are recognising my work and trying to push me to win it, or whatever,” he continued.

“It’s not something I think about, to be honest. It would be a dream, of course, because I never thought I could arrive to this stage, to this moment. But on the other hand, once you arrive here, you just want people to say what they think, vote, and that’s it.”

Rodri is battling for the prize alongside some of the more traditional contenders for the award in terms of position, with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr also tipped as being a major favourite to claim the individual accolade.

“I know I play a different role to most players that are nominated for these trophies, but it also shows that football can be beautiful in different views,” the Manchester City midfielder explained on his position.

“You can be beautiful playing as a midfielder, or scoring goals, or being a defender. We all know how football works, but I think there’s a lot of people that really appreciate the role of a midfielder, so lets see what happens.”

Manchester City have worked tirelessly to ensure that they have the options to cover for Rodri this season during times of required rest or forced absence through suspension of injury, although the Spaniard remains crucial to their operation.

Such is the belief that Rodri is one of the most vital components of Pep Guardiola’s successful current set-up that the club have offered the former Atletico Madrid man a blockbuster new agreement, which would push his salary towards the heights of the highest earning players.