REVEALED!!! How ManCity’s Rodri Win Ballon d’Or 2024 To Became Best Player In The World—–Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri has been honoured as the best player on the planet with the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or award after Real Madrid astonishingly boycotted the ceremony.
The 28-year-old was already considered one of the favourites for the award on the back of another exceptional individual and collective season for club and country, but Real Madrid wing wizard Vinicius Junior was originally expected to take home the prize.
However, Real Madrid apparently learned on Monday that the Brazil international would not be winning the accolade, leaving Los Blancos furious and causing them to incredibly cancel their trip to Paris.
True enough, there were no Real representatives at the Theatre du Chatelet in the French capital, even though Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal joined Rodri in the top four of the Ballon d’Or voting.
With his crutches in tow following his serious ACL injury, Rodri became the first-ever player from Manchester City to be bestowed with the Ballon d’Or, the first from the Premier League since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008 and just the second Spaniard to win the men’s prize after Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959) and Luis Suarez (1960).
The former Atletico Madrid man was visibly overcome with emotion as he collected his trophy from legendary striker George Weah,
The numbers behind Rodri’s historic Ballon d’Or triumph
There would be no repeat of the 2022-23 treble for Manchester City in the 2023-24 campaign, but Pep Guardiola’s side still cemented their status as the best in the land with an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title as Rodri made 34 appearances, missing three games through suspension and one through a tactical decision.
With creator-in-chief Kevin De Bruyne missing a good chunk of the campaign through injury, Phil Foden and Rodri took it upon themselves to make up the numbers that the Belgian provided, the former netting eight times and providing nine assists in league action.
For a supposed number six, Rodri has been transformed into an omnipotent lynchpin who is equally proficient in the opposition’s half as he is his own defensive third – from breaking up attacks, driving his team forward or coming up with a thunderbolt from range, the 28-year-old can do it all.
From a half-century of appearances at club level last season, Rodri was directly involved in 23 goals in all tournaments – nine of his own and 14 assists – and he ended the season unbeaten in a staggering 50 Premier League matches in a Man City jersey.
Also making more touches (3,988), progressive passes (376) and passes into the final third (378) than any other Premier League player last term, Rodri was deservedly nominated to the 2023-24 PFA Team of the Year, after which he dazzled for Spain en route to Euro 2024 glory.
Starting all but one of Spain’s games and netting in their last-16 success over Georgia, Rodri’s final against England ended prematurely due to injury, but he was nevertheless named the Player of the Tournament and into the Team of the Tournament.
