Ancelotti claims Rodri should have won 2023 Ballon d‍‍`Or over Messi

Real Madrid‍‍`s head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, stood by his team‍‍`s decision to skip the 2023 Ballon d‍‍`Or ceremony, sparking a fresh conversation ahead of their UEFA Champions League match against Manchester City.

The boycott was Real Madrid‍‍`s way of protesting Vinicius Jr.‍‍`s omission from the award nominations, as the club believed the Brazilian forward had deserved recognition.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Ancelotti addressed the controversy, reaffirming the club‍‍`s stance while also suggesting that Manchester City‍‍`s Rodri should have won the award a year earlier instead of Lionel Messi.

Ancelotti explained,

"I don‍‍`t think our decision was wrong

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. We believed Vinicius was the best player last year. That doesn‍‍`t mean we don‍‍`t respect Rodri, because he is an outstanding player, but I feel he should have won the Ballon d‍‍`Or in 2023."

The Italian coach’s comments highlighted Rodri‍‍`s stellar performances during Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign in the 2022-23 season.

The Spanish midfielder played a crucial role in City’s success, helping the team secure the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

Rodri even scored the decisive goal in the Champions League final, cementing his influence on City’s triumph.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi clinched his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, thanks to his heroics in leading Argentina to World Cup victory in Qatar in 2022.

While Messi’s achievement was widely celebrated, Ancelotti‍‍`s opinion reignites the debate about whether club performances should have outweighed international ones in the Ballon d‍‍`Or vote.

Real Madrid’s boycott, which took place last October, has come back into focus ahead of their match against Manchester City.

Ancelotti, despite being named Coach of the Year at the ceremony, didn’t attend the event, and neither did any other Madrid players or staff.

The club made it clear they felt Vinicius Jr. had been unfairly overlooked.

As the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City approaches, this debate over the Ballon d’Or adds an extra layer of tension to an already exciting fixture.

In the end, Ancelotti’s message is clear: respect for Rodri’s talents is evident, but he believes the midfielder’s Ballon d‍‍`Or moment came a year too late.

This storyline certainly spices up the anticipation for Wednesday’s game, where Rodri and Ancelotti will once again face off, not just on the field but in the broader conversation about football’s highest individual honors.