Barcelona midfielder Rodri has insisted that he did not turn down a move to Real Madrid this summer because of the fallout from the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Rodri won the award despite Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior being the strong favourite to claim it.

After the 2026 World Cup, the Spain captain was heavily linked with a move to Los Blancos but ended up joining their eternal rivals. Rodri has now dismissed claims that he made the decision because of possible tensions that could arise in the Madrid dressing room.

“It’s not true that I rejected Real Madrid because they boycott that Ballon d’Or,” Rodri told Mundo Deportivo. “At the time, it didn’t affect me. It was my special day. “There’s no point in talking about people who were not at the ceremony. It was a beautiful moment for my family and I.”