Rodri: Spain deserves Ballon d'Or

Manchester City midfielder Rodri wants to become the second Spaniard in history to win the Ballon d'Or.

The last time a Spanish player received this prize was back in 1960 - it was Barcelona's Luis Suarez Miramontes.

"It would be a source of pride for me and for my country to win it. Having a Spanish representative who is capable of winning the Ballon d'Or enriches everyone.

"We all know in Spain, because we just have one winner, that the last one was Luis Suarez many years ago. I didn't watch him of course and don't know much about him, but it's a shock that maybe one of the best countries in history in terms of football doesn't have more players that have won it.

"But football is like this. There have been great players over the years, but I think Spain deserves one because we have some great players that make history with the clubs, history with the countries", — Rodri told ESPN.

The 68th Golden Ball award ceremony will be held on 28 October in Paris. Among the 30 nominees there is one Ukrainian - Artem Dovbyk, who became the top scorer of 2023/24 La Liga.