Manchester City midfielder Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy around the Etihad ahead of his team’s match against Tottenham on Saturday night.

The Spaniard controversially lifted the trophy late last month ahead of Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jnr, becoming the first Premier League player to do so since 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo won the title.

This led to Real Madrid boycotting the ceremony as a whole, with neither Vinicius nor third-placed Jude Bellingham present in France when the award was announced.

A number of stars expressed their displeasure with the announcement, but Rodri nonetheless accepted the win even though his season was all but over. In September, he suffered an ACL injury, rendering him out of action for several months.

Yet he was all smiles when he collected the trophy and again when he strolled onto the Etihad pitch before kick-off on Saturday evening, and showed off his trophy to those in attendance inside the field.

A light show accompanied the presentation, with “Rodri” and “Ballon d’Or 2024” projected onto the pitch.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri presented his Ballon d’Or trophy to Manchester City fans at the Etihad on Saturday.

The midfielder controversially edged out Vinicius Jnr for the award presented last month.

He showed it off in a sort of light ceremony as fans greeted the midfielder before kick-off.

Behind Rodri, an object lit up with the midfielder’s name, and he could not contain his joy as he greeted those present, dressed in an all-black suit.

He punched the air, kissed his trophy and waved to the fans who were cheering him on.

The 28-year-old also returned to the pitch just before kick-off, just after his manager, Pep Guardiola, walked into a noisy reception as he signed his new contract extension.

His teammates who started the match gave him a guard of honor, each player congratulating him again before leaving the field. Erling Haaland appeared to joke that he should stay on the pitch.

Rodri was part of the City side that won the treble in the 2022-23 season, but was also instrumental in the team that won the Premier League for the fourth time in a row last season.

He also won the player of the tournament award at Euro 2024, after helping Spain become champions with a victory over England in the final.

“I’ll do it 10x if I have to.” They’re not ready,” Vinicus posted on the Madrid team has a LaLiga-Champions League double.

The Brazilian, 24, has six goals and four assists in 10 Champions League matches and has 20 goals in 26 La Liga matches.

Vinicius Jr and the rest of the Real Madrid entourage therefore boycotted the ceremony.

Erling Haaland appeared to joke that Rodri should stay on the pitch before kick-off

But Rodri himself has proven vital to City’s success. With him by his side, they have lost 2.6 percent of games since February 2023, compared to 33.3 percent lost without him.

Things have been tough since his last appearance two months ago, with City second in the Premier League table but five points behind leaders Liverpool.

They have also lost their last four matches in all competitions, including one in the League Cup, two in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.

Things got worse on Saturday, when they fell to an early 2-0 deficit against Tottenham at home in the Premier League.