Rodri's ceremony seems to delay the start of Manchester City vs Tottenham
Manchester City's clash with Tottenham started late after Rodri's Ballon d'Or presentation.
The midfielder showed the award to the crowd at the Etihad Stadium before the start of the match.
With his name on the field and the lights behind him, he greeted the fans as part of a lavish pre-match ceremony that began ten minutes before kick-off.
rodri was named this year's winner of the prestigious award last month at a ceremony in Paris.
The 28-year-old finished ahead real Madrid couple Vinicius Jr. and Judas Bellingham in the vote.
He was rewarded for winning the Premier League, Club World Cup and euros in a successful season with the club and the national team.
Rodri He also scored nine goals and provided 14 assists from midfield for City in 50 appearances in all competitions.
Saturday's visit by Spurs was City's first at home since the ceremony.
After Rodri received the award in front of the crowd, the players finally emerged from the tunnel.
However, he later reappeared to a guard of honor from his teammates before hugging the coach. pep guardiola.
The Spaniard did not leave the field of play until 5:30 p.m., the scheduled time for the start of the match.
Once he left the field, the Spurs walked towards their fans who were traveling for a pre-match meeting to further delay the start.
Referee John Brooks finally started the match at 5:31 p.m., one minute later than scheduled.
Rodri is currently out for City after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Arsenal in September.
He has since undergone surgery for the injury but is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
In his absence, City have lost their last four games in all competitions, including one Carabao Cup exit at the hands of the Spurs.
Meanwhile, league defeats against Bournemouth and Brighton have seen the champions fall five points behind the leaders. Liverpool.
City's torrid run also continued on Saturday thanks to a brace from James Maddison before goals from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson.
The 4-0 defeat ended City's 52-match unbeaten run and was the heaviest at home in the league under Guardiola.
