Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been crowned the winner of the Ballon d’Or at a glitzy ceremony in Paris, beating Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr.
The Manchester City midfielder won a clutch of trophies last season, lifting the Premier League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with City, as well as Euro 2024 with Spain. Vinicius Jr had been touted as Rodri’s main competition, but the Real Madrid star did not attend the ceremony after learning he would not win the award. Fellow candidate, and Vinicius’ team-mate Jude Bellingham, was also absent.
Rodri is the first midfielder to win the prize since 2018, when Luka Modric was honoured. Since then, Lionel Messi has won three of the prizes and Karim Benzema has won one; Robert Lewandowski was denied the chance to win the award in 2020 as it was not given, but the Barcelona striker was the frontrunner for the individual trophy. Rodri is the first Premier League player to win the award since 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo was triumphant while playing for Manchester United.
