Rodrigo was named as the recipient of the 68th edition of the most prestigious individual award in the game at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday evening.
The 28-year-old is the first City player ever to win the award and does so after becoming an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s relentless winners in recent seasons.
Vital in and out of possession at the base of midfield, Rodrigo has lifted 11 major honours since joining City in 2019 including four Premier League titles.
This award focuses on the 2023/24 campaign, which saw the Spaniard act as the beating heart of Guardiola’s side as City won a record fourth successive top-flight title.
He also was the catalyst behind Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024 this summer.
Gundogan, who has played alongside Rodrigo in midfield across both spells at City, was quick to praise his peer on X after the announcement.
“From today on he is finally not ‘underrated’ anymore,” he began.
“Congratulations to my teammate Rodri on winning the Ballon d’Or! For me this is very well deserved!
“I’m especially happy that someone in a defensive position is winning this title and not always just the offensive players!
“Rodri is the perfect midfielder and there’s no one that plays his position better than he does - there are so many clubs in Europe that are looking for a world class holding midfielder, but in the end there’s only him!
“What a development in recent years!”
