The decision to award the Ballon d’Or to Rodri took many by surprise, especially with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, who secured both the Liga and Champions League titles, being widely regarded as the favorite. On Monday, Rodri, the talented midfielder from Manchester City and Spain, was honored with the Ballon d’Or following a remarkable season. Rodri’s contributions were instrumental in Manchester City securing their fourth consecutive Premier League title. He was also named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024, where Spain claimed victory in Germany.
Rodri received his award during the 2024 Ballon d’Or France Football ceremony held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 28, 2024. He made history by becoming the first Premier League player to win the award since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008 and only the second male player from Spain to receive it, the first being former Barcelona star Luis Suárez in 1960.
In his acceptance speech, Rodri expressed his joy, saying, “This is a very special day for me, my family, and my country. I understand that because I have no social media, people don’t know me much. I am just a normal guy. I enjoy the sport, I enjoy my profession. And I try to be a good person. I am a very calm person.”
Despite being on crutches due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained during Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal last month, Rodri’s spirits were high. Unfortunately, this injury is likely to sideline him for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
Earlier in the evening, Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati won her second consecutive women’s Ballon d’Or after leading her club to a historic continental quadruple and winning the Nations League with Spain.
The announcement of Rodri’s win stirred controversy, as Vinicius Junior, who played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s Liga and Champions League double, was seen as the frontrunner. Vinicius, who did not attend the Paris ceremony after learning he did not win, finished second in the voting, with fellow Madrid player Jude Bellingham in third place.
Real Madrid’s frustration was evident when the club stated that if Vinicius did not win, his teammate Dani Carvajal, who also scored in the 2-0 Champions League final victory against Borussia Dortmund, should have been considered. Real Madrid expressed their dissatisfaction, saying, “If the award criteria do not give it to Vinicius, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner. As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”
Madrid, despite having eight nominees, including new recruit Kylian Mbappe, boycotted the event. Nonetheless, the Spanish giants were recognized as the men’s team of the year, and Carlo Ancelotti received the coach of the year award.
