Rodri BEATS Vinicius Jr. to 2024 Ballon d’Or in historical upset
Manchester City's Rodri beats Vinicius Jr. to claim the 2024 Ballon d'Or award, becoming the first defensive midfielder to win it since 1990.
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Rodri beat Vinicius Jr. to the 2024 Ballon d'Or despite the latter being considered the favorite to win the same (Via X/@ManCity & FabrizioRomano)
Not many expected Manchester City star Rodri to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or over Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. In one of the most surprising upsets in recent times, France Football and UEFA named Rodri as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner. The 28-year-old also made history by being the first defensive midfielder to win the award since Lothar Matthaus in 1990.
Prominent football journalist Fabrizio Romano took social media by storm when he announced hours earlier to the ceremony that Vinicius Jr. would not be winning the award! As for Rodri, the Spanish International played an elemental role for both club and country as he picked up silverware with both.
He played a crucial role for Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City as they won their fourth consecutive Premier League title. Rodri was also named Player of the Tournament at the 2024 Euros in Germany as Spain beat England in the final.
Integral for club and country, Rodri đ#UCL | #ballondor pic.twitter.com/PrB2KNtx6s
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 28, 2024
Rodri is only the third Spaniard since Alfredo Di Stefano and Luis Suarez to win the award, thereby ending a 64-year drought.
Real Madrid ‘boycotts’ Ballon d’Or ceremony amidst Vinicius Jr. snub
Real Madrid‘s entourage was nowhere to be seen at the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony as the winner for the coveted award was announced. From Jude Bellingham to Vinicius Jr. and Rodri, neither fans nor pundits could tell for certain who was to take home the award. However, Real Madrid ‘boycotted’ the ceremony in response to learning that Vinicius was not winning.
Surprisingly, none of Real Madrid’s Ballon d’Or nominees, including Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Daniel Carvajal, and club President Florentio Perez, attended the ceremony. After Rodri was crowned champion, several Real Madrid stars expressed their displeasure at the same.
đ¨đŁ Real Madrid statement after boycotting the Ballon d'Or ceremony:
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) October 28, 2024
"If the award criteria do not designate Vinicius as the winner, these same criteria should designate Carvajal as the winner. Since this has not been the case, it is clear that the UEFA Ballon d'Or does not⌠pic.twitter.com/CbNjNjf9YJ
While many fans argue that Rodri was exceptional for both club and country, unlike Vinicius, others claim that Vinicius was the clear winner. The Spaniard has 26 goal contributions as a defensive midfielder, which is just 9 goal contributions less than Vinicius, who had 26 goals and 9 assists last season.
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Sherwin Shaju
(1302 Articles Published)