Manchester City's Rodri wins men's 2024 Ballon d'Or as Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr settles for second spot
Manchester City's Rodri wins men's 2024 Ballon d'Or as Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr settles for second spot
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or award on Monday (Oct 28) in a ceremony in Paris. Rodri, who won honours with Manchester City and Spain during the 2023-24 season clinched the prestigious award ahead of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian winger won the Champions League and La Liga but settled for second place.
Rodri wins Ballon d’Or 2024
In a tight race for men’s football’s top individual honour, Rodri edged Vinicius Jr to become just the second Spanish-born player ever to win the Ballon d’Or. He joins Luis Suárez (not related not Uruguay’s Luis Suarez) and Alfredo Di Stéfano (born in Argentina and played for both Argentina and Colombia before changing citizenship to Spanish) to win the Ballon d’Or from Spain. Rodri’s win also means he becomes the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008 to win the top prize.
This is also the first time a player representing Manchester City has won the Ballon d’Or adding to Blackpool, Manchester United and Liverpool’s triumphs in the past from England.
ALSO READ |'Real Madrid and Barcelona...,' PM Modi acclaims El Clasico craze in India during roadshow
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Is it logically smarter to buy an electric car right now just to avoid fuel costs?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 players with most runs in Women's World Cup history
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
IPL 2026: 5 players who could be released after disappointing campaigns
)
6 Indians killed in Dubai after mini bus hits stationary truck
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why Russia and the US design their fighter jet missiles so differently
)
Plane crashes in Dominican Republic, explodes into massive fireball - VIDEO
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why fighter jets are so loud compared to normal planes
)
Video: Major Accident at Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant after molten iron spills, 10 feared dead
)
Old praise, new problems: Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das's 9-year-old tweet faces scrutiny
)
Iran's World Cup team wore '168' lapel pins in Mexico: What this means and could FIFA ban them?
)
Iran hit by 4.9 magnitude earthquake: What's the REAL reason?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Do dark-coloured cars burn more fuel for AC in summer?
)
US, China, Russia lead record $119 billion nuclear arms surge: Where does India stand?
)
Who is Abhilasha Barak? India's first woman combat helicopter pilot wins UN Military Gender Advocate Award
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the AIM-9 is a legendary fighter jet missile
)
Who Is Kevin Kunta? Meet Ram Charan’s bodyguard, MMA fighter, who reportedly charges Rs 2–3 lakh per day
)
US Army helicopter crashes near Strait of Hormuz, Trump says 'pilots are...' - VIDEO
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Portugal’s probable XI for FIFA World Cup 2026
)
Indian mangoes make inroads into the US market with Seattle event
)
India A Tri-Series in Sri Lanka 2026: Full schedule, venues, squads, timings & live-streaming details
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why fighter jet missiles have different coloured stripes
)
Scientists discover vast geological structure hidden beneath Antarctica's ice
)
Bear on the loose in Japanese city forces closure of nearly 100 schools
)
CID exposes Rs 2,400-crore ponzi scheme in Karnataka; Over 40,00 investors affected in fraud case
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How do fighter jet missiles lock on to targets? mechanism explained
)
'Why should we pick a fight...': Netanyahu calls off massive Iran strike after Trump's warning call
)
'That bump glow': Fans gush as Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are spotted at their new Bandra home
)
Meta AI could wipe out entire Instagram to ZERO users in coming months! Here's why
)
State of emergency declared in New Zealand's Wellington as 11-meter waves force hundreds to evacuate
)
WATCH | Trump caught dozing off at NBA Finals; video goes viral
)
Japanese researchers turn discarded udon noodles into biodegradable paper: How it works
Why did Rodri win the Ballon d’Or?
During the 2023-24 season, Rodri helped Manchester City win the Premier League title while they finished runners-up in the FA Cup. Rodri would later add the Community Shield to his club honours list in August. However, his biggest achievement was helping Spain win the Euro 2024 in Germany. Spain remained undefeated throughout the tournament and beat teams like Germany, France and England on their way to the title.
In the previous season, he had helped Man City win the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League while scoring the winning goal in the latter competition’s final.
Vinicius misses ceremony
According to prominent football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Vinicius Jr (eventually finished second) and his Real Madrid contingent avoided traveling to Paris for the ceremony after a reported leak of the winner’s name. A few hours before the ceremony, reports in France hinted that Rodri won the Ballon d’Or 2024, resulting in a furious reaction from Real Madrid and their board.
