Rodri: Why Man City’s Treble Winning Star Has Ruled Himself out Ballon d’Or Race in Favour of Messi

• 2023 Ballon d'Or nominee, Rodri has ruled himself out of the race for the coveted award
• The Man City midfielder instead backed Lionel Messi to win the prize
• He explained that his lack of "marketing" might have cost him the gong

Manchester City midfielder, Rodri, who played a pivotal role in the club's treble victory last season, has removed himself from contention for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award.

Acknowledged as the unsung hero within Pep Guardiola's triumphant Man City squad, Rodri received his first-ever nomination for the awards, which is slated for Paris on Monday, October 30.

Rodri's season under review

Despite his uncelebrated status, the Spanish midfielder delivered crucial performances for the Cityzens during the memorable treble-winning campaign, notably sealing the Champions League title with his memorable goal against Inter Milan, per CBS Sports.

Erling Haaland, Vinicius, Luka Modric applaud Bellingham after MVP display vs Osasuna

Football

In addition to his contributions at the club level, the 27-year-old also played a key role in Spain's conquest of the UEFA Nations League, solidifying his successful season.

Notwithstanding his impressive array of accomplishments, Rodri humbly recognized Lionel Messi as the frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or, even with the remarkable 52-goal performance from his teammate Erling Haaland, which greatly contributed to Manchester City's triumphant season.

Rodri on why he can't win Ballon d'Or

In his endorsement of Messi for what could be an unprecedented eighth award, the former Atletico Madrid anchor man inadvertently excluded himself from consideration, providing an explanation as to why he doesn't harbour any high hopes for his own chances.

"I think a certain Leo Messi is going to take it," Rodri told Cope, as cited by Tribuna, when asked who will win the 2023 Ballon d'Or.

"Haaland is also a very large figure and has merits.

Not Haaland: Fans name Man City star they want to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or

Football

"I know it's an individual award with a lot of marketing. Among the monsters I'm with, of course, I lacked marketing, like Xavi and Iniesta," the Spaniard also said.

Messi set to win 8th Ballon d'Or

As noted by Sports Brief, Messi is set to secure his eighth Ballon d'Or later this month, with alleged information about both the male and female award winners for 2023 already circulating.

After losing out to Karim Benzema for the 2022 accolade, the anticipation is that Messi has received an early confirmation of his triumph, as per a report by the Spanish newspaper Sport.

If the reports are accurate, Messi's victory will mark a historic moment, being the first instance of the Ballon d'Or being awarded to a player located outside of Europe. This achievement will further extend his lead over his long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, by an impressive margin of three awards.