Midfielder Rodri awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or; see full list of all men’s winners from 1956 to 2024

Manasi Singh "Journalist"October 29, 2024

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Rodri, a midfielder for Manchester City and Spain, was named the world’s finest footballer on Monday when he received the coveted Ballon d’Or. To win the award, he defeated English prodigy Jude Bellingham and Brazilian great Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid.

The remarkable feat of Manchester City winning the Premier League championship for an unprecedented fourth straight season was made possible in large part by Rodri’s outstanding performances. He was also awarded the best player in this year’s European Championship, as Spain won their fourth consecutive championship, setting a new record.

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Since Lothar Matthaus in 1990, the 28-year-old Madrid native became the first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d’Or. In addition, he is just the third Spaniard to get the honor, after Luis Suarez (1960) and Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959).

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No Spaniard has won the Ballon d’Or since Barcelona great Luis Suarez more than 60 years ago, despite the fact that Spanish league players have dominated the award’s history.

Considering that Spain’s “golden generation” won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010, this is an incredible accomplishment.

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“Today is not a triumph for me; rather, it is for Spanish football and the other players who deserve it but haven’t won, such as Sergio Busquets, Iker (Casillas), Xavi (Hernandez), and Andrés Iniesta, among many others. “It is for Spanish football and the midfielder’s figure,” Rodri said at the event.

“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.”Even though I’m just a normal person with morals, who studies, tries to do things correctly, and doesn’t strive to fit in with preconceptions, I’ve managed to reach the top, and I owe it all to you.”