Unusually, Carlo Ancelotti downplayed Rodri’s Ballon d’Or win, and considered that Real Madrid won their own Ballon d’Or for winning the Champions League last season.
Rodri won the most important individual award, beating Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, which cast a shadow over Ancelotti, who was crowned the best coach in 2024.
When Ancelotti was asked in the press conference before the Milan match in the Champions League about the Ballon d’Or, he completely ignored mentioning Rodri’s name.
The Italian coach said, “Congratulations to whoever won the Ballon d’Or, but now it’s in the past. We got our Ballon d’Or on June 1.”
He also added, “Real Madrid’s Ballon d’Or is winning the Champions League, which is what we did in London.”
Regarding Vinicius Junior and his feelings, he said, “Vinicius Junior is sad, but not because of the Ballon d’Or, but because of what is happening in Valencia (Hurricane Dana).”
“Vinicius is fine and has trained very well this week. It has been a difficult week but not because of the Ballon d’Or,” he concluded.
Real Madrid’s La Liga match against Valencia last Saturday was postponed indefinitely due to Hurricane Dana, which killed hundreds in the Valencia region.
