Rodri Beats Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr To Ballon d’Or 2024
Manchester City and Spain star Rodri has won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, beating the likes of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham to the award.
Notably, Vinicius, whose 24 goals last season helped Real Madrid win La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, and the Spanish Cup, was the red-hot favorite to win the prize.
However, the Brazilian forward, as well as all of Real Madrid's representatives, reportedly pulled out of attending the award ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, when it was discovered that the 24-year-old would not be winning the prestigious prize.
Ahead of the event in the French capital, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said, “It is not good for football that a club like Real Madrid is not present at a gala of this nature.” (H/T The Standard)
🚨⚪️ Confirmed: no one from Real Madrid attend to Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 28, 2024
No Ancelotti, no Bellingham, no Florentino Pérez… to support Vinicius Jr. pic.twitter.com/qj7rUij17U
Following Real Madrid’s dramatic comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last week, Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti was confident that Vinicius would scoop this year’s Ballon d’Or.
MORE: Carlo Ancelotti Makes Bold Vinicius Junior Claim After Champions League Heroics For Real Madrid
Many other notable names in football also backed the Brazil international to win the award, including Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez.
Regarding boycotting the ceremony, France 24 reported that Real Madrid told AFP, “If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to [Dani} Carvajal as the winner.”
“As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid,” the club added. “And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid won the Men’s Club of the Year at the Ballon d’Or gala after winning La Liga and the Champions League last term. Ancelotti also won the Men’s Coach of the Year. Because of the boycott, there was no one in attendance to accept the accolades.
Rodri is the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner
Rodri, who attended the ceremony on crutches after suffering a season-ending ACL injury in September, was a key player for Manchester City last season as Pep Guardiola’s team won the English Premier League title for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season.
In total, the 28-year-old made 50 appearances across all competitions for The Cityzens, scoring nine goals and providing 14 assists.
Additionally, Rodri played a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph in Germany. He featured in six matches, including the final in Berlin against England, where he played the first half before being subbed off due to injury.
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