After winning the Premier League for the fourth time in a row and the Euro 2024 tournament, Spain midfielder Rodri of Manchester City received the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday. Real Madrid, on the other hand, refused to attend the event.
It came as a surprise that the midfielder would receive the award for the world’s best player, given that Real Madrid’s Liga and Champions League double winner Vinicius Junior was widely considered to be the favorite.
The Spanish club made the announcement a few hours before the ceremony in Paris that its delegation would not attend the ceremony at Chatelet Theatre because it thought Vinicius had been overlooked.
Rodri, 28, was named player of the tournament at Euro 2024 as unfancied Spain prevailed in Germany. He was a key player in City’s victory over Arsenal to win the Premier League title last season.
In his post-award press conference, Rodri addressed the question of Real’s absence with tact.
He stated, “They have their decision, and they didn’t want to be here for their reasons.”
I simply concentrate on my team and my club.
Even though the French organizers insisted that the winner’s identity was a closely guarded secret this year, it appeared that the information had leaked ahead of the celebrations.
Aitana Bonmati, a star player for Barcelona and Spain, previously won her second women’s Ballon d’Or. She did this after leading her team to a historic continental quadruple and winning the Nations League with her country.
The Ballon d’Or is presented to Spanish players Aitana Bonmati of FC Barcelona and Rodri of Manchester City. — Reuters Real Madrid didn’t show up The drama started a few hours before the event when Spanish and European champion Real Madrid said that if Vinicius didn’t win, his teammate Dani Carvajal should get the award.
Carvajal scored in the Champions League final at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund, just like the Brazilian.
Vinicius led Madrid to three championships last season, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists in 39 games across all competitions.
According to Real Madrid’s statement to AFP, “if the award criteria does not give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner.”
“It is evident that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid because this was not the case. And Real Madrid never ventures into areas where it is not respected.”
Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Fede Valverde, and Jude Bellingham were also among the Madrid nominees.
An international panel of 100 seasoned journalists selects the Ballon d’Or winner from the shortlist.
The organizers, the Amaury group, which owns the sports daily L’Equipe and the magazine France Football, denied to AFP that the name of the man who will replace Lionel Messi, the winner of the men’s competition last year, had been leaked and insisted that “no player or club” knew in advance who would win.
In the absence of any club representatives, a video was shown on the stage as Real were honored as the men’s team of the year.
Pep Guardiola, the city manager, has referred to Rodri as “the best in his position.” He can perform any task. Guardiola has stated, “The quality, he reads the game, his mentality, he is always ready.”
The former Atletico Madrid player is known for his swift passing and ability to win the ball, as well as his propensity to score crucial goals for club and country.
His goal in 2023 won City their first Champions League, and he also scored crucial goals for Spain, like the equalizer in their match against Georgia in the last 16 of the Euro 2024 tournament.
Rodri is so important to Manchester City that they have lost all four of their Premier League matches without him.
City are at the top of the Premier League, but Rodri’s injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in September ended their chances of winning a fifth straight domestic title. He was out for the season.
During the 2024 Ballon d’Or France Football award ceremony on October 28, 2024, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, Spanish midfielder Rodri (L) of Manchester City appears on stage alongside former footballer and evening host Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast. — Since the award’s inception in 2018, AFP Bonmati, 26, and her Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas are the only women to win it twice.
Bonmati stated, “This cannot be accomplished alone; I am very fortunate to be surrounded by players who make me better every day.”
