- Rodri became the first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday
- His victory has sparked anger at Real Madrid after Vinicius Jr. had been rejected
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Footage has reportedly emerged of Manchester City star Rodri singing about Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. after beating him at the Ballon d’Or.
Rodri was named winner of the coveted prize in Paris on Monday evening, with the Spanish star taking home football’s highest individual honor.
The midfielder was honored for helping City to a fourth successive league title and for being an integral member of the Spanish side that won the European Championship.
There was controversy on the night when Real Madrid and their star Vinicius Jr chose to boycott the ceremony after the Brazilian was snubbed.
Man City had shared footage on social media showing Rodri wildly celebrating his achievement in a restaurant.
Footage reportedly showed Rodri talking about Vincius Jr. sang at his Ballon d’Or celebrations
Rodri made history on Monday as the first defensive midfielder to ever win the Ballon d’Or
Real Madrid have reacted furiously to the fact that Vinicius Jr. missed out on the coveted prize
Rodri sat in a restaurant – together with teammate Ruben Dias – and sang ‘Rodri’s on fire!’ while throwing their napkins in the air.
More images have now been published by Spanish outlet El Chiringuito of the festivities at the restaurant.
During the video, Rodri can be seen singing along to the tune of Bella Ciao, but the Man City star appears to have changed the words of the song to ‘Ciao Vini’, which means ‘Bye Vini’.
The chant could possibly be seen as a response to Real Madrid’s outrage over Rodri’s announcement as the winner of the award.
Rodri, who has been labeled a ‘humble and friendly’ star, has become the first defensive midfielder to win a Ballon d’Or.
Vinicius Jr. missed out on the prestigious award despite being hotly tipped for the honour, while Real Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham came third.
The Spanish giants made headlines when it was reported that players and coaches had decided to boycott the ceremony after learning that Vinicius Jr. would not take home top honors.
The European champions initially planned to send a delegation of 50 people to Paris before scrapping the trip after reports emerged that Rodri would win.
The 24-year-old took to social media after being confirmed as runner-up, writing on X: ‘I’ll do it ten times if I have to. They’re not ready for it.’
Man City had shared images of Rodri celebrating his success in the same restaurant
Rodri sat next to Man City teammate Ruben Dias as he celebrated the award on Monday
According to Reuters, this comment was a reference to his fight against racism in recent years.
Sources at Real Madrid told ESPN Brazil that the insult was a “historic robbery.”
Marca also reported that Madrid insiders have angrily declared that “the Ballon d’Or no longer exists for us.”
A statement from Madrid to AFP said: ‘If the award criteria do not point to Vinicius as the winner, the same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner.
‘Since this was not the case, it is clear that the Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid will not go where it is not respected.”