Rodri of Manchester City competes with Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid during a match.
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Why Rodri Deserves the Ballon D’or

The Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on 28 October. Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri has been overlooked in recent years but deserves to be honoured this time ahead of Vinicius Jr.

Rodri has been an asset to Manchester City and Spain over the past year, making a strong case for winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or. His influence transcends mere statistics, especially in a footballing landscape where attacking players aren’t producing the same stratospheric numbers that Messi and Ronaldo once did.

Last year, Rodri scored the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan to secure City’s treble. His composure and control from midfield were crucial in City’s dominance, helping them seal the Premier League title yet again this year.

On the international stage, Rodri would go on to win another European trophy this year. He was a key figure in Spain’s victory at Euro 2024. His performance throughout the tournament, especially in high-pressure matches, demonstrated his ability to control games and provide both defensive stability and progressive playmaking. He was not only Spain’s midfield anchor but also the orchestrator of their offensive transitions, earning him the Player of the Tournament award.

In a football world where traditional strikers no longer dominate the Ballon d’Or discussion, Rodri’s all-around impact on both ends of the pitch stands out. Midfielders like him now shape modern football, and few can match his level of influence on games.

A prime example of his importance to Manchester City was the recent 1-1 draw against Newcastle United on 28 September, where his absence was glaring. He was ruled out of the fixture with an ACL injury. Without him, a City side that had looked like the best in the Premier League up until this point struggled to maintain their usual midfield dominance, with Newcastle capitalising on the lack of control and defensive protection. 

This shows how integral Rodri is to City’s success — his ability to dictate the tempo and break up opposition play is often the backbone of their system.

Real Madrid deserves credit for their UEFA Champions League triumph and Vinicius for a superb season which saw him notch 15 goals and 5 assists in La Liga and 6 goals and 4 assists in the Champions League in 2023/24. Jude Bellingham, too, was influential in the triumph. However, both Vinicius for Brazil and Bellingham for England failed to land continental glory for their countries at the Copa America and Euros respectively.

Vinicius missed Brazil’s quarter-final defeat to Uruguay at Copa America with suspension, while England lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain.

Furthermore, the days of Messi scoring 91 goals in the calendar year of 2012 are long behind us and the winners of the Ballon d’Or should reflect this. The world’s most influential players are not always attacking players in the current era and Rodri deserves to be honoured at this year’s Ballon d’Or.

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