Manchester City are used to seeing their players win titles and individual awards.
For the most prestigious individual award a footballer can win – the Ballon d’Or – many City players have been nominated for this particular accolade in recent years.
Looking back over the 2023 rankings, City had seven players in the top 30, five of which finished in the top 10.
In this year’s list, four players from the Etihad Stadium have been nominated for the award.
One of those players is Rodri, who recently picked up a serious knee injury which will reportedly see him miss the remainder of the season.
This has since led to one pundit, who knows all about winning trophies and having to deal with injuries, sharing his thoughts on the Spaniard’s chances of being officially crowned the best player in the world.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Alan Shearer on Rodri potentially winning the Ballon d’Or after injury blow
In a recent episode of The Rest Is Football, Alan Shearer said this when asked if Rodri’s injury could damage his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
He said: “No, it shouldn’t do. I mean, that would be really, really cruel if it did, but it shouldn’t affect it at all.”
Rodri deserves to win the Ballon d’Or despite his injury
Last season not only saw Rodri play a prominent role in City’s journey to become the first team to win four consecutive Premier League trophies, but also feature heavily in Spain being crowned the best side in Europe at the end of the 2024 European Championship.
His overall performances in the Premier League earned the midfielder an impressive season rating of 7.62/10 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest-rated player in the division.
The 28-year-old was then named the Player of the Tournament at the Euros, further strengthening his case to be the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
