Kylian Mbappe questions Rodri’s Ballon d’Or victory over Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr

France striker with Cameroonian heritage, Kylian Mbappe says he was surprised to see Rodri win the 2024 Ballon d’Or ahead of Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior.

The Brazilian international was the favourite to pick up football’s most prestigious individual prize but the Manchester City midfielder scooped the top award.

In an interview with Le Parisien, Mbappe said, “What is a Ballon d’Or player? Rodri, is he a Ballon d’Or player for you?” he began. “For me, at first, he wasn’t one, I thought the Ballon d’Or would go to Vinicius but in the end, it was Rodri who got it.

“If I had told you that three months ago, you would have said to me, ‘What are you talking about?’.

“Today, we don’t know who the Ballon d’Or is going to, except that no one should be excluded, that all players can be rewarded, maybe even a goalkeeper,” he added.

Prior to the award, Vinicius Jr and his Real Madrid teammates boycotted the award ceremony which was held in France.