Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, better known as Rodri, is the winner of the highly-coveted Ballon d’Or award for 2024. The Ballon d’Or has been awarded by France Football since 1965 and recognizes the player that had the best performance in the previous season.
Rodri had a highly successful season on both individual and team levels. With City, he played 50 games in which he scored nine goals and dished 15 assists while winning the Premier League. He also led Spain’s national team to an unexpected EURO 2024 win and was named the Best Player of the Tournament.
Rodri is the first Spain-born player to receive the honor since Barcelona and Inter Milan legend Luis Suarez, who won the award in 1960. Additionally, he is the first player from the Premier League to receive a Ballon d’Or since Christiano Ronaldo got one while playing for Manchester United in 2008.
“Today many friends have written to me and have told me that football has won, for giving visibility to so many midfielders who have a job in the shadows, and today it is coming to light,” said Rodri, who became the first midfielder to win Ballon d’Or since Luka Modric in 2018, during the acceptance speech.
This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony came with its own share of controversy. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior was considered the favorite to win the award but decided not to attend after learning he would likely not be the winner. The entire Real Madrid party that was supposed to attend, including Carlo Ancelotti, who was recognized as the best head coach, was absent.
Vinicius Jr. finished second in the voting, while his teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal came third and fourth, respectively. City’s Erling Haaland rounded up the top five.
