Man City player Rodri receives unexpected praise after winning the Ballon d'Or; he is a unique kind of award winner.

 Even Manchester City supporters used to think that players from other teams and different kinds of players should receive the Ballon d'Or, but Rodri's victory alters that. With some unique statistics to support it, the midfield maestro is a deserving winner.  

It's safe to say that when he spoke to Pep Guardiola about Rodri earlier this year, he did not anticipate this. "If holding midfielders started getting the recognition of Erling Haaland and Kevin [De Bruyne], we would have a problem," Guardiola stated to Sky Sports.

It is imperative that the holding midfielder never, ever appear in the highlights. The holding midfielder must put the team's needs ahead of their own and not look for praise. We couldn't be doing what we are doing without him. However, the highlights must be someone else's.

It also reminds me of a summer talk with Bernardo Silva. As the quintessential team player, he made it clear that he disapproved of these personal baubles. He disagrees with Trent Alexander-Arnold's assertion that his top prize is the Ballon d'Or.