"A perfect year, you deserve it" - Sergio Aguero sends message to Manchester City star as he's nominated for 2024 Ballon d'Or

Sergio Aguero has backed former Manchester City teammate Rodri to win the Ballon d'Or later this year. The Spaniard has been named alongside 29 other players for the award which will be handed out at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 28.

Rodri, a defensive midfielder by trade, racked up nine goals and 14 assists in 50 games across competitions last term. He helped Manchester City win their fifth league title in the last six seasons and played in six of Spain's seven games in their triumphant Euro 2024 campaign.

Aguero, who played 39 times alongside Rodri in their two seasons at Manchester City (2019-21), took to X and wrote:

"Un año perfecto , se lo merece. Vamossssssss Rodri 😎😎🤟🏽 [Translated: A perfect year, you deserve it. Come on Rodri 😎😎🤟🏽]

Rodri and Aguero also share another connection, with the two having played for Atletico Madrid in the past, although during different periods. The former is widely regarded as one of the heavy favorites for the award alongside Vinicius Jr. and Erling Haaland.

Rodri spoke about his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or award recently and admitted that the more offensive players may have an advantage when it comes to securing votes.

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The full Ballon d'Or 2024 nominees list including Manchester City quartet

Rodri isn't the only Manchester City player nominated for the prestigious individual award. Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and Ruben Dias are also in contention to become the first City player to win the Ballon d'Or.

Here is the full list of nominees:

1. Martin Odegaard - Arsenal
2. Ruben Dias - Man City
3. Kylian Mbappe - Real Madrid
4. Hakan Calhanoglu - Inter
5. Bukayo Saka - Arsenal
6. Federico Valverde - Real Madrid
7. Artem Dovbyk - Roma
8. Vitinha - PSG
9. Emiliano Martinez - Aston Villa
10. Mats Hummels - Roma
11. Alejandro Grimaldo - Bayer Leverkusen
12. Lautaro Martinez - Inter
13. Dani Olmo - Barcelona
14. Harry Kane - Bayern Munich
15. Phil Foden - Man City
16. Erling Haaland - Man City
17. Vinicius Jr - Real Madrid
18. Toni Kroos - Real Madrid
19. Ademola Lookman - Atalanta
20. Nico Williams - Athletic Bilbao
21. Cole Palmer - Chelsea
22. William Saliba - Arsenal
23. Declan Rice - Arsenal
24. Lamine Yamal - Barcelona
25. Jude Bellingham - Real Madrid
26. Dani Carvajal - Real Madrid
27. Rodri - Man City
28. Antonio Rudiger - Real Madrid
29. Florian Wirtz - Bayer Leverkusen
30. Granit Xhaka - Bayer Leverkusen

This also marks the first time since 2003 that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi have been named in the list of Ballon d'Or nominees. The latter has lifted the golden trophy a record eight times, while Ronaldo has five wins to his name.