Rodrygo was angry - albeit in a way that famous people express their frustration these days, by posting a cryptic series of messages to his Instagram story. The Brazilian hadn't been named to the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or, and he subsequently told ESPN that he was "upset" by his omission.
His comments, in truth, have been somewhat been blown out of proportion. Rodrygo wasn't pedantic, he wasn't stroppy, and he didn't call out anyone else who made it over him, even if he might have been justifed in doing so. Rather, he merely acknowledged what is probably true: he is one of the 30 best footballers in the world.
But it is one thing to have the talent, or even statistics, to crack the list of nominees, and another to have the kind of gravitas to make it over others. The kids these days probably call it 'aura', but the Brazilian, for all of his brilliance, has never quite done enough to carry the kind of star power that is admittedly befitting of his immense quality as a footballer.
Rodrygo is, in many ways, a victim of his own versatility, a footballer so good at doing a bit of everything in the final third while featuring in the same side as so many other good players means that his outright talent often goes overlooked. So, too, does his lack of a signature moment, and until he does something that proves he is great, that Ballon d'Or acknowledgment he covets might remain elusive.
