Rodri has snubbed his Manchester City teammates when naming his top two picks for the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
September's 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony is fast approaching as a few players have established themselves as real contenders following their performances over the course of the year.
Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha are in the mix following their side's stunning campaign last season, which culminated in Champions League glory.
Spain duo Lamine Yamal and Pedri are also in the conversation after inspiring their national team to international success at Euro 2024.
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Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, who achieved 47 goal contributions (29 goals and 18 assists), and Kylian Mbappe are thought to be in the running, too.
Rodri, who won the Ballon d'Or last year, has named his top two picks - and failed to name any Man City players in the process.
The Blues midfielder name-dropped Yamal and Pedri, calling him 'unbelievable'.
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"I don't know. Many, many options. I always raise my players - the Spanish ones," he said. "Pedri has been unbelievable, Lamine also, but I don't know, I'm not the judge. let's see what happens."
Rodri isn't the only Spaniard backing Pedri to win the Ballon d'Or as ex-Barcelona winger Pedro hopes the 22-year-old wins the coveted individual prize.
"I would give Pedri maximum points, then Lamine Yamal and then maybe the other candidates out there are [Ousmane] Dembele and Raphinha," said Pedro.
"I would love Pedri to win, for us it is a pride and pleasure to have another player from Tenerife and the Canary Islands at the elite level of football, leading it like he leads it, with exemplary behaviour and always giving his all on the pitch."
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Pedri has been given the vote of confidence by Rodri and Pedro despite missing the second half of last summer's Euro 2024 through injury.
But he had a stellar campaign with Barcelona, helping them win the La Liga title last season.
Pedri, however, faces competition from his fellow countryman Yamal, who enjoyed a spectacular campaign last season.
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The 17-year-old bagged 18 goals across all competitions and played a starring role in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph.
Topics: Rodri, Manchester City, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Football
Nasir Jabbar