Its injustice that he’s not nominated” - Barcelona legend publicly hits out at Real Madrid star Rodrygo being left out of 2024 Ballon d’Or
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Barcelona legend Rivaldo believes |A|
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo's |B|
omission from the Ballon |C|
d'Or shortlist is wrong. |D|
The coveted award is |E|
all set to be |F|
handed to a first-time |G|
winner this year, with |H|
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel |J|
Messi not among the |K|
nominees. The trophy will be |L|
awarded on October 28 |M|
at the Theatre du |O|
Chatelet in Paris, France. |P|
The 30-man shortlist is |Q|
already out and some |R|
of the best players |S|
in the world have |U|
made the cut. The nominees |V|
include Real Madrid forward |Y|
Vinicius Junior and Manchester |Z|
City's Rodri, the frontrunners |A|
in the race. However, |B|
many experts and fans |C|
felt Rodrygo was a |D|
glaring miss on the |E|
list. His absence has |F|
been heavily discussed in |G|
recent days. The Brazilian was |H|
outstanding for Los Blancos |J|
last season, scoring 17 |K|
goals and setting up |L|
nine more from 51 |M|
games. He played a |O|
key role as the |P|
Spanish giants won the |Q|
league, the Champions League, |R|
and the Supercopa de |S|
Espana. The Ballon d'Or is |U|
traditionally awarded to a |V|
player based on his |Y|
achievements as well as |Z|
performance for club and |A|
country over the past |B|
12 months. Rodrygo was |C|
indispensable for Real Madrid |D|
last season and would |E|
be disappointed at missing |F|
out on the shortlist. Speaking |G|
recently, as cited by Madrid |H|
Xtra, Rivaldo insisted that |J|
his countryman's absence from |K|
the nominee list is |L|
difficult to understand. Rodrygo has had a |Z|
slow start to the |A|
new season with Los |B|
Blancos, registering one goal |C|
and one assist from |D|
five games. Vinicius |G|
Junior is among the |H|
frontrunners for this year's |J|
Ballon d'Or. The coveted |K|
trophy could return to |L|
Real Madrid after a |M|
gap of just one |O|
year. Karim Benzema won |P|
the award in 2022 |Q|
during his time at |R|
the Santiago Bernabeu. In |S|
2023, Lionel Messi won |U|
his record-extending eighth title. |V|
Meanwhile, Luka Modric also |Y|
got his hands on |Z|
the coveted trophy in |A|
2018. This year, Los Blancos |B|
are well represented among |C|
the nominees. Apart from |D|
Vinicius, the other Real |E|
Madrid players to make |F|
it on the shortlist |G|
are Jude Bellingham, Federico |H|
Valverde, Kylian Mbappe, Dani |J|
Carvajal, and Antonio Rudiger. If |K|
Vinicius wins the Ballon |L|
d'Or this year, he |M|
will be the ninth |O|
player from the club |P|
to do so. He |Q|
will also be the |R|
fifth Brazilian to lift |S|
the trophy, following in |U|
the footsteps of Rivaldo, |V|
Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Kaka.“What is |M|
the Ballon d’Or criteria |O|
if someone like Rodrygo |P|
is not nominated? It |Q|
is difficult to understand |R|
this. Rodrygo is a |S|
potential Ballon d’Or. It |U|
is injustice that he |V|
is not nominated,” Rivaldo |Y|
said.
Could a Real |E|
Madrid player win the |F|
Ballon d'Or this year?
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