Ruben Dias tips Manchester City teammate to win Ballon d’Or award | OneFootball

Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has tipped teammate Rodri to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award next month.

Both players have been nominated for the 68th edition of the critically acclaimed Ballon d’Or award, with Manchester City’s men’s team receiving seven nominations ahead of the ceremony is Paris on Monday 28 October.

Rodri, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland have all been nominated for the Men’s Ballon d’Or award, meanwhile summer signing Savinho has been named on the 10-man shortlist for the Kopa Trophy.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is nominated for the Men’s Coach of the Year Trophy, meanwhile the Sky Blues are also nominated for the Men’s Club of the Year Trophy.

Rodri is one of the favourites within the 30-player shortlist to win the Ballon d’Or award this year, with the 28-year-old having played a pivotal role in silverware success for both club and country.

The midfielder started 50 matches for Manchester City during their record-breaking 2023/24 campaign, as the Blues retained the Premier League title and lifted both the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Rodri also enjoyed European Championship glory with Spain, starting six matches as part their victorious campaign in Germany over the summer.

Despite rivalling Rodri for the award next month, Manchester City centre-back Dias has tipped the Spaniard to win the Ballon d’Or.

Speaking about the prospect of the Manchester City midfielder winning the award, Dias said: “I think obviously he has got a good chance [of winning it]. We are all behind him and it would make us very happy for him to win it. We are all rooting for him and it would be a special moment if he wins it.

“Obviously what Rodri has done with Spain is also important for it, but what we’ve all done together means a lot and puts a lot of weight behind his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.”

The prestigious awards, which this year are in collaboration between UEFA and Groupe Amaury, will take place on Monday 28 October at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.