Real Madrid forward Rodrygo has expressed his disapproval of the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees’ list after he was left out.
The Brazilian striker led the list of high-profile footballers who did not make the 30-man shortlist for the award.
His Real Madrid teammates dominated the list. The likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr., Federico Valverde, Kylian Mbappe, and Antonio Rudiger, including Toni Kroos, who retired recently, made the list.
Rodrygo scored 17 goals and registered nine assists in 51 appearances for Real Madrid last season.
But the Brazil international failed to secure a nomination for the prestigious award, unlike his Madrid teammates.
“I was upset; I think I deserved it,” Rodrygo told ESPN about the award nominees’ list.
“I don’t want to belittle the players who are there, I think they deserved it also. But I think I had a place in the 30.”
It is not the first time Rodrygo has expressed his disapproval of the award. Hours after the nominees’ list was announced, he took to his social media to share a cryptic post featuring all the trophies he won with Real Madrid in the Ballon d’Or year.
Providing context to the telling post, the footballer added a laughing emoji to convey his unapologetic satire on the award.
His teammate in the Brazil national team and Al-Hilal forward Neymar also supported him.
Neymar posted footage of Rodrygo on his Brazil national team shirt and wrote, “At least top 5 in the world. Crack.”
While the former PSG forward did not mention the Ballon d’Or nominees’ list, it was evident he was disputing the list as he considers Rodrygo a top player, unjustly left out.
Did Rodrygo deserve to be on the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees’ list?
Amidst the controversy that has surrounded the exclusion of Rodrygo from the 2024 Ballon d’Or’s nominees list, the question that has been begging for an answer is whether the footballer deserves to make the list.
After Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo was the third best-performing Real Madrid player based on available stats. In 51 games for the club, he scored 17 goals and registered nine assists.
His contributions comprised 10 La Liga goals plus five assists in 34 games; five Champions League goals with two assists in 13 games; and a goal and an assist in two Supercopa de Espana appearances.
To most fans and analysts, the Brazilian ought to have been included on the list, as available stats show that the player did just enough to merit a spot on the list.
Other big names who miss out on the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees list
Notably, Rodrygo is not the only big-name player that was left out of the award. Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, was left out.
His arch-rival and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, who has won it for a record-extending eight times, was also axed out. The aforementioned two players miss out on the list for the first time since 2003.
Other top footballers who conspicuously missed from the list were Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich, Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, Fabian Ruiz of PSG, and many others.
