PARIS: Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri was awarded the men’s Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world, beating Brazil’s Vinicius Jr and England’s Jude Bellingham, while Real Madrid snubbed the star-studded ceremony in Paris in apparent protest.

Rodri, a first-time winner of the award, was instrumental in helping his team win an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League trophy last season. He was also named best player at this year’s European Championship after Spain lifted a record-extending fourth title.

The decision to award the prize for the world’s best player to the midfielder came as a surprise, with Real’s La Liga and Champions League double winner Vinicius widely seen as the favourite.

Hours before the ceremony in Paris, the Spanish club annou­nced its delegation would not attend the ceremony at Chatelet Theatre because of what it perceived as a snub of Vinicius. Their players then vented their feelings on social media.

Rodri showed his emotion when his name was read out by former winner George Weah, putting his hands over his face.

“Incredible night for me,” said Rodri, who is out for the season after injuring his ACL last month and arrived on crutches to the ceremony. “One of my key things is I always try to improve every game.”

Known as a hard-working and unselfish player despite his abilities, Rodri was quick to deflect praise onto others.

“I just want to say thank you again to the people who recognize my value in the game,” he said. “When I was a kid I never thought of winning the Ballon d’Or, but in the last years I’ve been playing the highest level.”

The 28-year-old Madrid native is the first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d’Or since Lothar Matthaus in 1990 and the third Spaniard to claim the prize after Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959) and Luis Suarez (1960).

While the award has been dominated by Spanish league players, no Spaniard had won since Barcelona great Luis Suarez more than 60 years ago, despite Spain’s “golden generation” that won the 2010 World Cup, the 2008 and 2012 Euros.

But Rodri, the player City coach Pep Guardiola said is “the best midfielder in the world”, finally ended that run after playing a key role as City held off Arsenal to win the Premier League title last season and was named player of the tournament at Euro 2024 as unfancied Spain emerged triumphant in Germany.

“Today is not a victory for me, it is for Spanish football, for so many players who have not won it and have deserved it, like [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi [Hernandez], Iker [Casillas], Sergio Busquets, so many others. It is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder.

“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.

“I’m a regular guy with values, who studies, who tries to do things right and doesn’t try to follow the stereotypes and even so I have been able to get to the top, and it is thanks to all of you.”

Rodri was diplomatic when addressing the question of Real’s no-show in his post-award press conference.

“They have their decision, they didn’t want to be here for their reasons,” he said. “I just focus on my club and my team-mates.”

Despite the French organisers insisting that the identity of the winner was a closely-guarded secret this year, the news appeared to have leaked ahead of the festivities.

NO-SHOW

The drama started hours before the ceremony as Spanish and European champions Real said if Vinicius was not the winner, then the award should go to his teammate Dani Carvajal.

Like the Brazilian, Carvajal scored in the 2-0 victory against Borussia Dort­mund in the Champions League final at Wembley.

Vinicius scored 24 goals and made 11 assists in 39 matches across all competitions for Madrid as he led the club to three titles last season.

“If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” Real Madrid told news agency AFP.

“As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”

The Real contingent of nominees also included Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger and Fede Valverde.

The winner of the Ballon d’Or is chosen from the shortlist by an international jury of 100 specialist journalists.

The organisers, the Amaury group which owns the L’Equipe sports daily and France Football magazine, denied to AFP that the name of the successor to last year’s men’s winner Lionel Messi had leaked and insisted that “no player or club” knew in advance who had won.

When Real were named as the men’s team of the year, a video played on the stage in the absence of any club representatives.

Attacking midfielder Belli­ngham was third and Carvajal finished fourth in the voting, and coach Carlo Ancelotti won the coach of the year award.

Ancelotti posted a message on X instead as did Vinícius. “I’ll do it 10x if needed,” Vinicius wrote in Portuguese. “They are not ready.”

Real midfielder Eduardo Camavinga made it clear what he thought of the vote, calling it “football politics.”

“My brother you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise,” the France international wrote on X along with a photo of him and Vinicius celebrating together. “Love you my bro.”

Former Real star Karim Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2022, posted a supportive message in French on Instagram, along with the words “Trop Fort” (“Too Strong”).

NO MESSI OR RONALDO

Rodri became the third person not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the award since 2008. It was the first time since 2003 in which neither Messi nor Ronaldo made the final 30-man list of nominees.

Portugal’s Ronaldo, who has won the award five times and was the last Premier League player to win it in 2008, also failed to receive a nomination last year after moving to Saudi Arabia. Messi, who won for a record eighth time in 2023, missed out despite Argentina’s Copa America triumph.

While Rodri is not a flamboyant player or a prolific scorer like Messi and Ronaldo, he had a huge influence on City’s team with his ability to protect the defense and distribute passes cleanly from the back.

City looked unbeatable at times with him in the side, while his excellent technical ability enabled him to slot smoothly into the quick-passing style made so effective by Spain at Euro 2024.

He is the first City player to win the award and has only lost a match once in the past 18 months — City’s surprise FA Cup final defeat by Manchester United last season.

In addition to his metronomic passing and ball-winning capabilities, the former Atletico Madrid player has a knack of popping up with crucial goals for club and country.

His goal won City their first Champions League in 2023 but he also scored vital goals for Spain, such as the equaliser in their last-16 Euro 2024 tie against Georgia.

So central is Rodri to Man­chester City that their past four Premier League defeats have all come when he was absent.

BONMATI’S TROPHY

Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati earlier won her second successive women’s Ballon d’Or, after leading her club to a historic continental quadruple of titles and claiming the Nations League with her country.

Bonmati, 26, joins her Barc­elona team-mate Alexia Putellas as the only women to win the Ballon d’Or twice since the award’s inauguration in 2018.

“This cannot be achieved alone, I am very lucky to be surrounded by players who make me better every day,” said Bonmatí, who received the award from Oscar winner Natalie Portman.

The Catalans won every trophy available to them last season — the Spanish league, Cup, Super Cup and a second-successive Women’s Champions League — and grabbed the trophy for the best women’s club.

On a good night for Spain and Barca players, teen prodigy Lamine Yamal — the youngest-ever scorer at a European Championship — won the Kopa award for best Under-21 player and Barca won the best women’s team award.

Former PSG forward Kylian Mbappe and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane shared the Gerd Mueller award for most club and country goals last season with 52. Mbappe joined Madrid during the offseason.

Argentina’s penalty-saving specialist Emiliano Martínez retained the Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper.

Spain forward Jenni Hermoso, who has fought sexism in Spanish football after she was kissed on the lips at last year’s Women’s World Cup final by former federation president Luis Rubiales, collected the Socrates award for humanitarian work.

A special award was given by France Football to the wife and son of late Ger­m­any great Franz Beckenbauer.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2024