Former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry has insisted that Manchester City's Rodri deserves to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award ahead of Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.

Vinicius netted a remarkable second half hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund to help Real Madrid stage an astonishing comeback from two goals down at the Santiago Bernabeu in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.

Despite the Brazilian international's stellar performance on a historic Champions League night for Los Blancos, Henry, who was on punditry duties on CBS Sports believes the work of midfielders like Rodri rarely gets the deserved credit and attention.

“Rodri because I wanted the Xavi and the [Andres] Iniesta when they were performing, people forget about the midfielders and what they do and they’re the heart of the team and he was the heart of Man City. I know they didn’t win the Champions League but he won the Euros.

“Vinicius Jr didn’t perform at the Copa America.

“But is he a worthy winner? Yes. He’s outstanding. I keep on saying, for me, right now, as a forward, the best in the world so he deserves it.”