Real Madrid president Florentino Perez revealed which of his players he is convinced will one day win the Ballon d’Or.
On Sunday Real dispatched Athletic Bilbao 2-0 courtesy of a pair of fine goals by Rodrygo.
The Brazil international opened the scoring with a strike from 20 yards, before doubling Los Blancos’ lead with a composed finish after a mazy run.
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The result saw Real, who were welcoming Jude Bellingham back from suspension, go eight points clear of Barcelona at the La Liga summit with eight games remaining.
The Spanish giants could have won by even more, with Federico Valverde having been denied by keeper Julen Agirrezabala, and Brahim Diaz also hitting the post.
Meanwhile, Athletic, who face Mallorca in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, were denied an equaliser at 1-0 when Inaki Williams' attempt was well saved by Andriy Lunin.
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Ultimately, Rodrygo was the catalyst for Real’s victory, with the 23-year-old having stepped up in the absence of compatriot Vinicus Jr.
Real president Perez was in attendance for the game last night at Santiago Bernabeu and took particular notice of Rodrygo’s rallying display.
As per Defensa Central, after the game, Perez said: “He is going to win the Ballon d’Or.”
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Meanwhile, speaking to Real Madrid TV, manager Carlo Ancelotti explained how he and his staff "were convinced" Rodrygo was "going to do something in this game".
"It may be that he likes this position more than another. I think that with Vini they can be combined very well and they have [already] combined very well. He was the most important player of the match," the Italian explained.
Later on in his press conference, Ancelotti added: "He played very well. He made the difference, [and] he was able to score very early.
"He has a very high quality in his plays, that's what he has to do. Now you can say he feels better on the left, but he's good everywhere. Let's not forget that he scored two goals playing down the right in a Champions League semifinal."
Topics: Real Madrid, Rodrygo, Ballon d'Or, Florentino Perez, Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil, La Liga
Chris Byfield