Pep Guardiola has expressed hope that Manchester City midfielder Rodri will win the Ballon d’Or this year.

Vinicius Jr was early favourite for the Ballon d’Or award, especially after Real Madrid won the Champions League.

However, Pep Guardiola now believes that Rodri is the most deserving of the award after the exceptional season he has had, which culminated in winning Euro 2024 with the Spanish national team.

Jude Bellingham is also another Real Madrid player with a strong shout to win the Ballon d’Or.

When asked about this in the United States, Guardiola said: “I can’t hide how happy I would be if Rodri won the Ballon d’Or. It would be a great thing for him and his family, as well as for us at Manchester City. We would be very proud of him.”

He added: “Rodri’s consistency and level of performance have been amazing by all standards. I’m happy for him to win the Euros, as well as for Laporte and Ferran Torres.”

He concluded: “There are Ballon d’Or contenders from Real Madrid and Manchester City. Of course, I would be happy if the award went to one of my players like Rodri.”