Cristiano Ronaldo has argued it was "unfair" to hand Rodri the Ballon d'Or instead of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior.
Manchester City's midfield maestro picked up the prize earlier this season, sparking significant controversy as many felt Vinicius was the most-deserving winner.
Vinicius came out on top against Rodri by winning The Best FIFA Men's Player shortly after, before snatching another individual honour as he was named the Globe Soccer Awards Best Men's Player ahead of the Spain midfielder on Friday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ronaldo confessed that Rodri was a deserving winner but insisted Vinicius had the stronger case to win the Ballon d'Or.
"In my opinion he deserved to win the Ballon d'Or," Ronaldo said. "It was unfair, in my opinion. I say that here, in front of everybody.
"They gave it to Rodrigo. He deserved it too but I think they should have given it to Vinicius because he won the Champions League and scored in the final. The other issues, for me, are not important. When you deserve [it], you should give it to who deserves it. This is why I love Globe Soccer. They do an honest award."
Responding to Ronaldo's comments, Vinicius said: "If Cristiano says I am the best player, I will believe it. It is a pleasure and an honour to be here with Cristiano and Neymar, my biggest idols."
Vinicius later took to social media to admit his delight at being recognised as a leading talent of world football.
"It's not easy to get here," he wrote. "I gave up a lot in pursuit of my dreams and one main goal: to make my family proud.
Receiving such an important award caps off a wonderful year for me. I won five titles with Real Madrid and the individual recognition from Globe Soccer shows that I'm on the right path. I thank Real Madrid, Flamengo and the Brazilian National Team for allowing me to fulfil my dream of playing football. And, of course, all my teammates.
"BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD."
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
feed
