What Manchester City’s Ederson really said about Vinicius Jr and Rodri for the Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

Social media posts have been circulating over the last few days appearing to indicate a snubbing of Rodri when it comes to support for the Ballon d’Or from Ederson.

The Spanish international midfielder is understood to be one of the clear favourites for the individual prize this season following an exemplary campaign with both Manchester City and his national team.

Having claimed a trio of silverware to follow up a historic Treble with City in the 2022/23 season, Rodri went on to become a Champion of Europe once again as Spain defeated England in Berlin to win the European Championships for 2024.

That followed a Premier League title success in a fourth successive season, on top of a FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup win for Rodri and his Manchester City teammates. In all of those showings, Rodri was nothing short of integral.

But there remains some conflicted debate over whether a defensive midfielder could really claim the prize for being the best footballer on the planet over a calendar year, with that honour to be decided later this month.

Speaking during a recent conversation with TNT Sports Brazil, Manchester City’s number one choice goalkeeper Ederson did not indicate clear support for either Rodri or Vinicius Jr, but instead insisted that he would be happy if either player claimed this year’s Ballon d’Or.

“I support Rodri and also Vini, whoever wins it will be deserved,” Ederson said.

“I hope Viní Jr wins it. He deserves it for everything he did last season.

“On the other hand if Rodri wins I’ll be happy as well,” he closed.

A number of social media posts had been gaining significant traction across the course of the weekend, with several outlets cutting out the sentence in which Ederson insisted he would be fully in support of a Rodri success at the ceremony on October 28.

Rodri is of course out for the remainder of the season having sustained damage to both his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus following an off-the-ball incident during the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

For now, Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff will be seeking the best possible reinforcement to support the squad during Rodri’s lengthy absence, with the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan likely to be favourites for the role.