Manchester City star Rodri won the Ballon d’Or 2024 in a big surprise, beating Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior who came in second place.
Rodri won this award for his overall performance last season, when he led Manchester City to retain the English Premier League title, then shone at Euro 2024 and was one of the main reasons for his country winning the title.
The 28-year-old played 50 matches with City last season in all competitions, scoring 9 goals and making 10 assists, while at Euro 2024 he played 6 matches, scoring one goal.
Rodri thus became the third Spanish player in history to win the Ballon d’Or after Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1957) and Luis Suarez (1960), and of course the first in 74 years.
Criticism of France Football does not stop at choosing Rodri despite his exceptional season, considering that Vinicius Junior also had a historic season with Real Madrid and all indications were that he would win the most valuable award in football.
In the end, thanks to the votes, Rodri won first place and Vinicius Junior was the runner-up, while Jude Bellingham came in third.
It should be noted that Rodri suffered a cruciate ligament tear at the beginning of this season, which will keep him out until next May.
