Rodri says he's not bitter about Real Madrid skipping the ceremony where he was crowned Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Vinícius Jr., but he thinks that just like you need to know how to win, you also need to know how to lose.

In an interview with France Football, the magazine that created this prestigious award, he admitted he would have preferred everyone to be present, alluding to Real Madrid’s absence after realizing Vinícius wouldn’t win. Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, who finished third and fourth, also didn’t show up. "I have to respect everyone's decision. Although I wouldn’t have acted the same way. But they do what they want."

The Spanish Manchester City midfielder confirmed he didn’t hesitate to attend the ceremony in Paris on October 28, even though he didn’t know he’d win the Ballon d'Or: "When your talent is recognized at a high level, it’s worth attending, whether you win or not."

In fact, he recalled that he attended last year as well when Erling Haaland was a strong favorite because he wanted to support him during that unique moment. "You have to know how to win, but knowing how to lose is just as important."

Rodri says he wasn’t tipped off that he’d be the winner and was surprised later that people assumed he knew beforehand. "No one had told me anything before the ceremony. I knew that was the rule this year," he added, emphasizing that he thinks it’s "a great approach."

He noted that while he was boarding his flight to Paris on the day of the ceremony, friends messaged him saying Real Madrid wouldn’t attend, and his first reaction was disbelief. After landing in Paris, he got congratulatory messages, and that’s when he started feeling that things might be going his way: "I got on the plane just to attend the ceremony and landed almost as a winner."

Once the jury’s verdict was out, he received hundreds of congratulations, and the first person he responded to was Andrés Iniesta, whom he considers "the best Spanish player of all time, who deserved a Ballon d'Or" (Iniesta was second in 2010 and third in 2012).