The Spaniard insists he has no issue with Real Madrid’s decision to snub last night’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris and believes any player who is invited to the event should be proud even if they do not receive an award.
When asked about Madrid’s no show at the event despite the likes of Kylian Mbappe and manager Carlo Ancelotti winning award, the City manager responded thoughtfully and made a great comparison to Erling Haaland.
“It’s up to them. If they want to congratulate, that’s fine. If not, that’s fine as well. At Manchester City, we are not here to judge other clubs on what they decide they have to do.
“Last season for example, Erling (Haaland) won the Treble, scored more than 50 goals. I said to him ‘just being there, you have to be so happy’. I said the same to Rodri. If you are in the first two, three or four, it’s exceptional. Last season, Erling should win, yes. Should Messi have won? Yes. It doesn’t matter.
“You and your teammates have done something amazing. Should it be Vinicius? Maybe. It’s not an elite group, it’s journalists who vote.”
He congratulated Rodri on his achievement and admitted that he never though a Manchester City player would win the award.
‘Rodri made an incredible speech, he spoke about family and Spanish football. In the last decade, Spanish football has made such a difference, won a World Cup, Euros, and weren’t able to win this award.
‘Their importance in the last 10 or 15 years has been so important. I remember once we nominated three players from La Masia, Xavi and Iniesta couldn’t beat Messi, he was a monster. Only Ronaldo could.’
On Rodri’s achievement, specifically, Guardiola added: ‘What can I say? First, to congratulate him and all his family and their friends, it’s incredible news for him and for all of us.
‘All Manchester City, our fans, we are so proud of him. We could never have imagined this years ago, that one (City) player could receive this prestigious award. We are so delighted to share it with him and hopefully, it can give him energy to recover well for next season and be with us again.’
Although Rodri is out for the season with an unfortunate ACL injury, Vinicius Junior is set to play this Sunday against Valencia where he will likely try to make a statement after being snubbed for the award that meant a lot to him and his side.