Rodri has revealed a personal shortlist of six players he believes deserve to win this year's Ballon d'Or, notably overlooking several of world football's biggest names in favour of his own Spanish teammates.

The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner returned to this year's list of nominees after being crowned World Cup champion and named the tournament's best player, cementing his place among the leading contenders for the 2026 award.

Speaking on the programme El Partidazo de COPE, Rodri made his preference clear from the outset, expressing hope that the prestigious individual honour would ultimately go to a member of Spain's World Cup winning squad.

"What I really hope for is that a Spanish player wins it. We are six: Cucurella, Cubarsi, Rodri, Ruiz, Yamal, Torres," he said.

He went further still, insisting each name on his list carried a legitimate case for winning, rather than simply offering a token show of support for his fellow Spanish internationals.

"I can tell you that each of them truly deserves the Ballon d'Or. I think all of my teammates have strong arguments," Rodri said, before breaking down the specific merits behind each individual selection.

"Fabian Ruiz is the one who won the most titles, and Cubarsi given what he has achieved at just nineteen, and Ferran scored the decisive goal, while I won the award for best player in the tournament, and Lamine, amazing," he added.

Rodri then posed a rhetorical question of his own, challenging anyone doubting the strength of his shortlist to consider the achievements each player had delivered across the tournament.

"Don't you think they all really have genuine arguments?" he asked, before acknowledging that ultimately only one name could be announced as the eventual winner come the ceremony itself.

Notably absent from his six were several of the most widely tipped candidates heading into this year's award, including Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Lionel Messi.

Rodri did not dismiss their credentials outright, instead offering a measured response when asked about the public campaigning some of those players had undertaken in pursuit of the award.

"I see it as a wonderful thing that they believe they are the best in the world," he said, addressing the media push led by both Mbappe and Yamal in recent months.

One particular omission from the official thirty man nominee list left Rodri genuinely surprised, with Barcelona teammate Raphinha failing to make the cut despite an outstanding season in an unfamiliar central striker role.

"He is the player who surprised me more than anyone else by a large margin," Rodri said, reflecting on the Brazilian's transformation from a traditional winger into a genuine goal threat through the middle.

He elaborated further on his confusion, recalling Raphinha's earlier career at Leeds United before contrasting it sharply with his current importance to Barcelona's attack this season.

"I said to him, wait, weren't you playing on the wing at Leeds, breaking into the box and scoring a goal from time to time? Now you play as an out and out striker, this is beyond my ability to understand," he said.

Turning to his own plans for the ceremony itself, Rodri confirmed he intended to attend the Ballon d'Or event in London on 26 October, regardless of how confident he felt about retaining the award.

"Yes, I will be there, I will go no matter what happens. Even on the day of the Ballon d'Or, I thought they would not give me the award, but I attended," he said.

That comment carried added significance given Real Madrid's decision to boycott the 2024 ceremony entirely after learning the award would not go to their own forward Vinicius Junior, with Rodri ultimately claiming the trophy instead.