Rodri, the Spanish and Manchester City midfielder, was crowned the Ballon d'Or winner on October 28, 2024, in Paris. Photo: AFP
Spain and Manchester City's Rodri clinched the Ballon d'Or on Monday, surpassing Brazil's Vinicius Jr and England's Jude Bellingham, both from Real Madrid, to secure the esteemed accolade. Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, also from Spain, won the women's Ballon d'Or for the second consecutive year.
Rodri, a first-time recipient of the award, played a pivotal role in Manchester City's historic fourth consecutive Premier League victory last season. He was also named the best player at the European Championship, where Spain secured their record-extending fourth title. At 28, Rodri is the first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or since Lothar Matthaus in 1990 and the third Spaniard to achieve this feat, following Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959) and Luis Suarez (1960).
Despite the dominance of Spanish league players, no Spaniard had won the Ballon d'Or since Luis Suarez over 60 years ago, despite Spain's 'golden generation' winning the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 Euros. Rodri, whom Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola considers 'the best midfielder in the world', broke this streak with a unique skill set that has solidified his club's dominance in England and Spain's reign in Europe.
During his acceptance speech, Rodri emphasized that the victory was not just his but for Spanish football and the many deserving players who had not won the award, such as Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Iker Casillas, and Sergio Busquets. He also highlighted the recognition for midfielders who often work in the shadows.
Rodri's achievement marks the third time since 2008 that someone other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or. It is also the first time since 2003 that neither Messi nor Ronaldo made the final 30-man list. Ronaldo, who has won the award five times and was the last Premier League player to win it in 2008, was also not nominated last year after moving to Saudi Arabia. Messi, who won for a record eighth time in 2023, missed out despite Argentina's Copa America triumph.
Rodri's exceptional performance has seen him lose only one match in the past 18 months, which was Manchester City's unexpected FA Cup final defeat by Manchester United last season. Earlier, Rodri's national teammate Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player, contributing to Spain's flawless Euro 2024 campaign.
Aitana Bonmati won the women's Ballon d'Or for the second year running, while compatriot Jennifer Hermoso received the Socrates Award for her advocacy for women's rights in football and her stand against sexism in sport. Real Madrid decided to boycott the ceremony, anticipating Vinicius's loss in the men's category. No club representatives were present when Real Madrid won the men's club of the year award, and their manager Carlo Ancelotti was named men's coach of the year. Barcelona secured the women's best club award after both teams achieved the European and Spanish league double last season.
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