Rodri wins Ballon d’Or after Premier League, Euro 2024 glory

Manchester Metropolis midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that noticed him decide up silverware with each membership and nation.

Rodri was handed the award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, organised by the French journal France Soccer in collaboration with UEFA.

“A really big day, for me, my household and my nation,” Rodri stated.

“I perceive that as a result of I’ve no social media, folks do not know me a lot. I’m only a regular man. I benefit from the sport, I take pleasure in my occupation. And I attempt to be particular person. I’m a really calm particular person.”

The 28-year-old received his fourth straight Premier League with Metropolis in Could as Pep Guardiola’s aspect held off Arsenal’s problem, successful their final 9 video games to clinch the title. He’s the primary participant from England’s prime tier to be topped since Cristiano Ronaldo received in 2008 throughout his first stint with Manchester United.

Rodri’s stiffest competitors for the Ballon d’Or got here from Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, who refused to journey to Paris for the ceremony after discovering that he wouldn’t take dwelling the trophy. Jude Bellingham completed third within the voting.

Vinícius, 24, had been a number one contender to win the 2024 males’s prize after main Madrid to a LaLiga and Champions League double final season, however sources instructed ESPN earlier on Monday that neither he nor his fellow Madrid nominees — eight in whole throughout the assorted awards — would attend the occasion.

Madrid had been honoured earlier within the ceremony as the boys’s crew of the 12 months, and Carlo Ancelotti acquired the coach of the 12 months award, although no representatives of the final Champions League winners have been current to simply accept it.

“I will do it 10x if wanted. They aren’t prepared,” Vini Jr. posted in Portuguese on X.

Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga made it clear what he considered the vote, calling it “soccer politics.”

“FOOTBALL POLITICS X. My brother, you’re the finest participant on the earth and no award can say in any other case. Love you my bro,” the France worldwide wrote on X together with a photograph of him and Vinicius celebrating collectively.

The awards are based mostly on voting by a panel of journalists from the highest 100 FIFA-ranked international locations.

Rodri was a part of the Spain crew that received Euro 2024, beginning each sport besides the third group stage match in opposition to Albania, and claimed the participant of the match prize.

He went a world-record 74 video games unbeaten for membership and nation from March 2023 to Could 2024, avoiding defeat (aside from through penalties) till Metropolis’s loss to Manchester United within the FA Cup closing.

Rodri turns into the second males’s participant born in Spain to win the game’s most prestigious particular person prize, and the primary since former Barcelona star Luis Suárez claimed it in 1960.

Actual Madrid’s legendary striker Alfredo di Stefano received the award twice, in 1957 and 1959, although he was born in Argentina. The previous 4 Ballons d’Or Féminin have been received by Spanish girls (Alexia Putellas in 2021 and 2022 and Aitana Bonmatí in 2023 and 2024).

“At this time isn’t a victory for me, it’s for Spanish soccer, for therefore many gamers who haven’t received it and have deserved it, like [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi [Hernandez], Iker [Casillas], Sergio Busquets, so many others. It’s for Spanish soccer and for the determine of the midfielder,” Rodri stated on stage on the ceremony.

“At this time many buddies have written to me and have instructed me that soccer has received, for giving visibility to so many midfielders who’ve a job within the shadows and at the moment it’s coming to gentle.”

Rodri is more likely to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 marketing campaign after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament harm throughout Metropolis’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sept. 22. He collected the prize on crutches on Monday.

That knee harm got here simply days after he stated at a information convention that gamers might go on strike in response to the ever-growing variety of video games within the soccer calendar.

“I’m simply making an attempt to deal with myself. Relaxation, benefit from the free time with my household and are available again stronger,” Rodri stated when requested about his restoration.

Earlier in Paris, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal received the Kopa Trophy for finest under-21 participant over the earlier season, whereas Aitana Bonmatí claimed her second consecutive Ballon d’Or Féminin.

Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé shared the Gerd Müller trophy for many objectives within the season, whereas Aston Villa and Argentina stopper Emiliano Martínez retained the prize for finest goalkeeper on the earth following his nation’s Copa América title.

Info from The Related Press and Reuters was used on this report.