Ballon d’Or: Ilkay Gundogan reacts to Madrid snub

The 2024 Ballon d’Or will live in the minds of football fans as the one award ceremony that rattled Real Madrid to the core over the decision to award Manchester City star Rodri as its recipient over Vinicius Jr.

Now, City teammate and former Barcelona player Ilkay Gundogan has taken to Twitter to lay a subtle jab at Rodri and the 2024 Ballon d’Or’s critics.

In a post that takes on the tone of a lighthearted humor, the German international backs his teammate for breaking the norm.

Ilkay Gundogan wrote;

“I’m especially happy that someone on a defensive position is winning this title and not always just the offensive players!

The former Borussia Dortmund goes on to praise his City teammate while stressing on the reason Rodri deserves the Ballon d’Or award.

“Rodri is the perfect midfielder and there’s no one that plays his position better than he does – there are so many clubs in Europe that are looking for a world class holding midfielder, but in the end there’s only him! What a development in recent years!”

The versatile midfielder did not fail to leave a subtle dig for Rodri’s would-be-critics and naysayers, with Gundogan saying;

“From today on he is finally not ‘underrated’ anymore. Congratulations to my teammate Rodri on wining the Ballon d’Or! For me this is very well deserved!”

https://twitter.com/IlkayGuendogan/status/1851019761628422239?t=9NcNymOr2yw3hVrGQBEV9A&s=19