'I was the most consistent' — Rodri says he deserves Ballon d'Or over Vinicius, Bellingham

Manchester City’s Rodri has reiterated that he deserved to win the Ballon d'Or, explaining in a recent media appearance why he pipped Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. to France Football’s coveted prize. 

The anticipated Ballon d’Or gala came to a controversial end when Rodri, a defensive midfielder, won the award ahead of a more exciting option in Vinicius Jr. 

The Manchester City man finished on 1170 points in the voting breakdown, only 41 more than second-placed Vinicius (1129), underscoring how stiffly contested the award was. 

Rodri got the prize for his exceptional year with Manchester City and Spain, in which he won the Premier League and was the Player of the Tournament in a triumphant European Championship campaign with Spain. 

Despite most voters picking Rodri as the deserved winner, many fans believed Vinicius, who won LALIGA and the Champions League, should have taken home the prize. 

In a recent media appearance, the Spaniard backed himself, explaining that he won the award by being the most consistent footballer in the world during the period in review. 

"I won the Ballon d'Or because of consistency, which is the most difficult thing in football. I was the most CONSISTENT player in the season." 

Meanwhile, Rodri is currently out injured and is expected to miss most, if not all of this season. This means the Ballon d'Or will almost certainly have a winner next year, and Vinicius is already leading the polls.