Cesc Fabregas played with and against a wide range of top-level players throughout his playing career.
Having made over 700 senior club appearances, the former midfielder played for clubs such as Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea.
In fact, 24 of those games came against Manchester City.
He also won three major titles with Spain who he represented 110 times at a senior level.
Overall, the 37-year-old knows what it takes to be a top player and certainly has the credentials to recognise one when he sees them.
Now though, Fabregas has been sharing his thoughts on the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, which has four current members of City’s squad in the top 30 nominees.
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Cesc Fabregas says Rodri deserves to win the Ballon d’Or
Appearing in a recent episode of The Rest Is Football, Fabregas had this to say about who he thinks should win the Ballon d’Or after Gary Lineker said his pick would be Rodri.
He said: “I’m not really capable to say anyone specific at the moment, but there is always also the shout of Vinicius [Junior], because of what he’s done, and winning the Champions League and playing well.
“But yet, your shout is very interesting to me, because I think he deserves it, and for me, Manchester City is a different team without Rodri.”
Rodri would be a worthy winner of the Ballon d’Or
Fabregas isn’t the only former top-flight star to share this sentiment about the City star, as Gabby Agbonlahor also said that Rodri deserves to win the Ballon d’Or ahead of Vinicius.
Having played key roles in City’s latest Premier League winning campaign as well as Spain winning the 2024 European Championship, it’s easy to see why the midfielder is in the conversation to win the award.
To highlight the 28-year-old’s importance to City, the only three games they lost in the Premier League last season were the games where Rodri was unavailable through suspension.
Moving forward, if the midfielder does end up winning the Ballon d’Or, he would definitely be a worthy winner of the award.
