Manchester City’s midfielder Rodri has become the first player in the history of the club to win the Ballon d’Or after the Spaniard was announced the winner at the illustrious Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
The ceremony was again surrounded by controversy as the 28-year-old beat out Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr for the coveted prize with Real refusing to send a single representative to the ceremony, seemingly in protest. Eventually, George Weah, announced him as the first Manchester City player to take home the prestigious award.
Despite being on crutches following ACL surgery from an injury sustained against Arsenal, Rodri became the first Spaniard to win the Ballon d’Or since Luis Suarez in 1960. Overcome with emotion, he addressed the audience in Spanish, expressing gratitude to his supporters and dedicating the moment to his family and girlfriend, Laura, on their eighth anniversary.
Rodri played a pivotal role in City’s fourth consecutive Premier League title, contributing eight goals and nine assists from his defensive midfield position. He also showcased his talents on the international stage, helping Spain secure victory at Euro 2024 in Germany, where he was honored as Player of the Tournament. The ever-present linchpin in City’s midfield, played 50 games for his side last season. Of his 50 games last season, City won 38, drew 11 and lost just once, which was the FA Cup final against Manchester United. In the nine games Rodri didn’t feature, City won just five, losing four of them.
He also averaged 111.2 passes per 90 minutes with an accuracy of 92.3%. That’s more passes per 90 than any other player from Europe’s top five leagues in all competitions; in fact, his average was 8.8 passes per 90 higher than any other player. He also set a new Premier League record (since 2003-04) for successful passes (3,359) and successful passes in the opposition’s half (2,122) in a single season in the 2023-24 campaign.
This was enough to convince the 100 journalists from FIFA’s top nations to announce Rodri as this year’s Ballon d’Or winner.
Vinicius Jr, the favorite, took second place in the rankings, followed closely by his Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal.
1. Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)
2. Vinicius Jr (Brazil, Real Madrid)
3. Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)
4. Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)
5. Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
6. Kylian Mbappe (France, PSG / Real Madrid)
7. Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, Inter Milan)
8. Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
9. Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
10. Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich)
11. Phil Foden (England, Manchester City)
12. Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen)
13. Dani Olmo (Spain, RB Leipzig / Barcelona)
14. Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, Atalanta)
15. Nico Williams (Spain, Athletic Club)
16. Granit Xhaka (Switzerland, Bayer Leverkusen)
17. Federico Valverde (Uruguay, Real Madrid)
18. Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)
19. Martin Odegaard (Norway, Arsenal)
20. Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey, Inter)
21. Bukayo Saka (England, Arsenal)
22. Antonio Rudiger (Germany, Real Madrid)
23. Ruben Dias (Portugal, Manchester City)
24. William Saliba (France, Arsenal)
25. Cole Palmer (England, Chelsea)
26. Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)
27. Vitinha (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)
28. Alex Grimaldo (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)
29. Mats Hummels (Germany, Borussia Dortmund)
30. Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine, Dnipro / Girona / Roma)