Pep Guardiola appears to have touched on the Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi debate whilst reacting to the news of Rodri claiming the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.
Rodri Wins The 2024 Ballon d’Or Award
Rodri was surprisingly crowned with the 2024 Ballon d’Or award on October 29, 2024, beating the Real Madrid duo of Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The Spaniard shockingly emerged as the winner after an impressive 2023/24 campaign, where he claimed the Premier League title alongside the UEFA European Championship, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.
The 28-year-old also scored an impressive 12 goals and provided 13 assists in over 50 matches for Manchester City and Spain between 2023 and 2024.
Pep Guardiola’s Thought On The Impact Of Spanish Football
In a presser ahead of Manchester City’s Carabao Cup 4th round clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, Pep Guardiola reacted to Rodri’s success at the 2024 Ballon d’Or award by reflecting on the impact of Spanish football in the game.
He expressed his delight with Rodri winning the award while also pointing towards the greatness of Messi and Ronaldo.
Speaking on the mighty position of Spanish football in modern-day football Guardiola shared:
“I think Spanish football in the last decade made an incredible thing, with different national trainers, with incredible players in the past, with winning the World Cup, the Euros Cup, and never, never were able to win this award.
“And I think Rodri represents perfectly, of course, City because we are so proud, but Spanish football – their influence in world football in the last 10, 15 years, it has been massively important.”
He also took minds back to 2010 when La Masia produced 3 players who finished on the podium for the Ballon d’Or award (Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, and Andreas Iniesta).
Guardiola added: “Not just winning trophies, the way they play, the generations of managers, generations of players.
“And I think maybe in that time I remember three players from the Barcelona Academy, La Masia, were nominated all three to win the Ballon d’Or, and Xavi and Iniesta could not win because there was a monster there.”
Pep Guardiola Stirs Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi Debate
In touching on the supposed “monster” that stopped Xavi and Iniesta from claiming the Ballon d’Or award in 2010, Pep Guardiola dived into the Messi-Ronaldo debate.
He said: “And Messi, nobody could beat him. Just Cristiano [Ronaldo]. Cristiano was a monster, and the father of the monster is [Lionel] Messi. And both have done something incredible in the last 15, 20 years.”
Interestingly, Guardiola claimed that in 2010, Xavi Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta were also deserving of the Ballon d’Or award.
He added: “And maybe in that moment, Xavi and Iniesta deserved the Ballon d’Or as well. So I think Rodri yesterday got what Spanish football deserved worldwide.”
Manchester City’s Delegation In Paris, France To Celebrate The Ballon d’Or Success Of Rodri
Manchester City’s contingent in Paris for the Ballon d’Or award on October 28, 2024, featured many of the club’s administrators, including Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain.
2024 Ballon d’Or award winner Rodri, alongside teammates Ruben Dias and Savinho, partied deep into the night in Paris, France, before returning to Manchester via a private flight on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
2024 Ballon d’Or Attracts Huge Controversy
A few hours before the ceremony commenced on Monday, October 29, 2024, Los Blancos became aware that Vinicius would not win the Ballon d’Or award, and as such, they opted to boycott the award ceremony.
The decision to hand Rodri the 2024 Ballon d’Or award sparked much criticism, as a huge section of fans felt there were other players more deserving of the prize than the Manchester City midfielder.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi Debate
The Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi long-standing debate appears to be unending soon and interestingly, Pep Guardiola’s latest comment looks to have fueled the fire.
The pair have achieved monstrous strides in football, claiming several awards, including the Ballon d’Or, FIFA TheBest, and Golden Boot, amongst others.
