Sport
“Rodri Deserved 2023 Ballon d’Or but Vinicius Deserved 2024” – Ancelotti
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti believes Manchester City’s Rodri should have won the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Speaking ahead of his team’s Champions League clash against City, Ancelotti shared his thoughts on past and present award winners.
Lionel Messi took home the 2023 Ballon d’Or, finishing ahead of stars like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne, and Rodri, who placed fifth. But in 2024, the Manchester City midfielder finally claimed the prize, beating Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, who finished second and third.
That result didn’t sit well with the Madrid camp. In protest, the club, including Ancelotti, skipped the awards ceremony in Paris. While the Italian coach praised Rodri’s talent, he made it clear that he felt Vinicius should have been the 2024 winner.
“I don’t think skipping the ceremony was a bad decision,” Ancelotti said. “We believed Vini Jr. was the rightful winner. But that doesn’t mean we don’t respect Rodri. He’s a fantastic player, and in our view, he should have won it the year before.”
Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli has revealed why captain Cristiano Ronaldo missed their Saudi Pro League match against Al-Taawoun on Friday. Ronaldo was sidelined due to a cold as Al-Nassr settled for a 1-1 draw at home. Otávio and R. Martínez scored to earn a point for both teams at Al-Awwal Park.
After the game, Pioli explained that Ronaldo’s absence was health-related. Al-Nassr currently sit fourth in the league with 64 points from 32 matches, having already missed out on the title after Al-Ittihad were crowned champions. Their next fixture is against Al-Khaleej on Wednesday.
Atalanta’s star winger Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the Serie A Player of the Month award for May. He’s up against five other top players including Riccardo Orsoloni from Bologna, Juventus’ Khenphren Thuram, Napoli’s Scott McTominay, AS Roma’s Manu Kone, and AC Milan’s Santiago Gimenez.
Lookman broke his six-game scoring drought by finding the net in Atalanta’s 2-1 victory over AS Roma on Monday. This season, the 27-year-old has made a huge impact with 15 goals and five assists in 30 league games.
Ademola Lookman has once again earned a spot in the Serie A Team of the Season, marking his second time in a row making the prestigious list. The 27-year-old was a key figure for Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta side throughout the 2024/25 season, putting in several standout performances.
He racked up an impressive 20 goal contributions, netting 15 goals and providing five assists in 30 league matches. His teammate, Mateo Retegui, also made the cut. With transfer talks heating up, the exciting winger is expected to part ways with Atalanta when the season wraps up.
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