Rodri, the Manchester City midfielder, has named Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi as the frontrunner for this year’s Ballon d’Or award.

Messi, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe are among the top contenders for the Ballon d’Or this year.

The winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or will be announced later this month.

“Who’s going to win the Ballon d’Or? For me, I think Lionel Messi is going to win it,” Rodri said (as per El Partidazo de COPE vía AlbicelesteTalk).

Messi emerged as a strong contender for a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or this year after leading Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar.

The former Barcelona captain also won the French Ligue 1 title with PSG before he left the club to join Inter Miami in the summer.