The controversy surrounding 2024's Ballon d'Or still echoes in 2025. Spanish newspaper As published an interview with Rodri Hernández on January 2nd, talking about his injury, how he is recovering, the current state of his team, Manchester City, and of course his Ballon d'Or victory.
On December 27th, Cristiano Ronaldo was interviewed in the Globe Soccer Award Ceremony in Dubai, and said that, in his opinion, Vinícius Jr. should have won the Ballon d'Or. "They give it to Rodri, he deserved it too, but they should have given it to Vinícius because he won the Champions League and scored in the final", the Portuguese star said.
He was naturally asked about that in the interview. "It was a surprise, really, because he knows better than anyone how this award works and, above all, how the winner is chosen. This year, the journalists who vote have decided that I should win it. Probably, these same journalists were the ones who at some point voted for him to win it, and I imagine that then he would have agreed."
Also in the interview, he said he is recovering well and he thinks he will return before the season ends, in the Club World Cup held in June-July with Manchester City, and the Nations League with Spain in June.
