Manchester City are no strangers when it comes to winning titles.
During Pep Guardiola’s reign at the Etihad Stadium, the Manchester club have lifted multiple domestic and European trophies.
As well as that, several figures from City’s squad know what it’s like to win individual awards.
For example, Erling Haaland was named the 2022/23 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year before Phil Foden won the 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season award.
With Blues in the midst of another season, a pundit has shared his thoughts on another particular City player’s chances of getting his hands on the most prestigious individual award in the coming days.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Gary Lineker highlights where Rodri may have lost his chance to win the Ballon d’Or
While discussing the upcoming ceremony for the 2024 Ballon d’Or and who could win the award, Gary Lineker gave this assessment of Rodri’s chances during a recent episode of The Rest Is Football.
He said: “I would feel for Rodri because he’s been, I think, the best player, consistently the best player in world football this year.
“You’d think a national team championship would probably carry more weight possibly than a club title in terms of the Champions League.
“And just the difference between losing a penalty shootout and winning a penalty shootout, not just for a club like Manchester City failing to go through, but also Rodri because if they win that penalty shootout, then they probably would have gone on to win the Champions League and Rodri would definitely have been a shoo-in.
“So individual prizes within a team sport, but it’s always fascinating, isn’t it?”
Alan Shearer said it would be ‘cruel’ if Rodri didn’t win the Ballon d’Or
Even though Rodri suffered a season-ending knee injury back in September, Alan Shearer said this on whether Rodri’s injury should impact 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.”
Even though the Spaniard played a big role in seeing City win a fourth consecutive Premier League title as well as his country winning the 2024 European Championship, he couldn’t help his side overcome Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Specifically, as Lineker mentioned, Carlo Ancelotti’s side went through on penalties after drawing with the Citizens home and away.
While many City supporters would presumably love to see Rodri get recognised as the best player in the world, they will know how good he is and how important he is to the team regardless of the result.
