2024 is perhaps the first year of football in a long time where it’s hard to pick out one singular standout moment of the year. 2023 saw Manchester City lift the treble, 2022 was Lionel Messi‘s ascent to immortality, 2021 was Italy’s Euro triumph, and before that, we did not have to look past Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to find a standout. But in 2024 – for the first time in years – the standout thing was that there wasn’t a standout moment.

And perhaps the best way to signal the fact that there wasn’t a standout was the fact that neither Messi nor Ronaldo made it into the Top 30 of the Ballon d’Or nominees. The award they couldn’t stop winning at one point had finally moved on for good.

Football in 2024 saw surprises. Perhaps more than we’re used to. Bayern Munich no longer won the Bundesliga, dark horses Spain won the Euros, and a defensive midfielder won the Ballon d’Or. For good heavens, Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations after sacking their manager mid-tournament!

And what a ride that was. Ivory Coast barely scraped through to the knockouts in an AFCON on home soil. Their manager was sacked midway and the collapse couldn’t look more calamitous. Neither could the comeback look more glorious than it ended up being. ‘The Elephants’ beat everyone in the knockouts, including then-defending champions Senegal, to claim a historic AFCON in their own territory.

What about Bayer Leverkusen? Not only did they dethrone the seemingly undethronable, they went invincible. Zero losses in 34 Bundesliga games. Zero losses in the German Cup. And were it not for a freak Europa League final defeat, it’d be zero losses all season. Xabi Alonso at the wheel, Florian Wirtz in the hole, Leverkusen were the team of the year.

Let’s come to Spain. Before Euro 2024, England were heavyweights. People fancied Germany on home soil. France are always favourites. But one team beat them all. Spain. They didn’t boast the best team, but undeniably played the best football.

Rodri was a metronome. His hype took away the shine from midfield partner Fabian Ruiz who was arguably better. Nico Williams was a tear on the flanks, and his wing partner? Phew. Superlatives fall short when one tries to describe what Lamine Yamal is doing at 17.

It’s hard to live up to the words ‘The Next Messi’. But Lamine Yamal may very well just do it.

He finished 8th in the Ballon d’Or. At 17!

Perhaps the Ballon d’Or, and the fickle nature of individual awards, does not deserve the debate it gets. But it must certainly be discussed to celebrate the best individual players. The sweetest cream of the crop. And in 2024, there were three. Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Rodri.

Bellingham flew at Real Madrid, and was decisive whenever the occasion demanded it. El Clasico winner? Check. Champions League in your first season at Real Madrid? Check. Bicycle-kick 95th minute equaliser at the Euros? Check.

His teammate Vinicius was stratospheric. If footballers were superheroes, no one would be feared more than Vinicius in the current scenario. Without a shadow of doubt, the player in world football most capable of turning a game on its head with the click of a finger.

But the golden ball went to Rodri. In a game that typically needs you to have a goal tally to challenge for the big honours, Rodri was crowned for being the ticking heartbeat of Manchester City and Spain. Just look at how worse off his club is, now that he’s injured. Rodri was so good that a people needed to sit up and realize that a defensive midfielder may just be the most important player in the world.

Football in 2024 was uncertain. It was diverse. It had no singular standout. It saw Pep Guardiola lose eight out of 11 games. It saw Kylian Mbappe finally join Real Madrid. It was a call back to the pre-Messi and Ronaldo era. And it’s time we embrace it.

A “victory for football”, that’s how Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri‘s triumph at the Ballon d’Or 2024 has been described by many. The ‘underrated’ defensive midfielder has been quietly doing his job, for both club and country, while attackers and defenders continue to draw plaudits for their respective teams. However, as the Ballon d’Or 2024 results were announced, Rodri left behind popular picks like Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, both of whom play for Real Madrid, to be crowned the best player of the year.

Speaking at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in France after being given the Ballon d’Or honour, Rodri left everyone in awe with his speech. The Spaniard had special words for his compatriots Dani Carvajal and Lamine Yamal, both of whom played key roles in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.

“I want to mention my teammates with whom I won the Euro title with, especially Dani Carvajal who suffered the same injury that I suffered. Lamine Yamal, I know you will win this award soon. This is a victory for Spanish football and many of my friends have written to me to say, football has won today.

The Manchester City man also narrated an inspiring story of his, explaining how he almost quit football in teenage years.

“I would like to tell you a story that led me here, when I was 17, I packed my suitcase to fulfil a dream. One day I cried to my father, it’s all over, I invested my life to get here and that was it. My father said, we came all the way here, let’s keep going and this is something that changed my mindset. I am a nomal kid with values, I know what a hard worker is, thank you very much.”

| Rodri: “I wanted to remember my teammates who won the Euros, Carvajal who perfectly deserves to be here, and one who I think will win it, which is you, Lamine”

 “So many players who haven’t won it: “Xavi, Iniesta, Iker, Busquet..”

pic.twitter.com/jYDfEBbXiW

— City Chief (@City_Chief) October 29, 2024

Rodri also thanked his girlfriend Laura for being with him in all facets of life.

“I have to thank a very special person, my girlfriend Laura, today is our eighth anniversary. Without her, things would not be the same. My family, of course, the values they have taught me, showing me the right steps to take and helping me to become the man I am today.

“A very special person, my agent Paulo, when you took me to matches, feeding my dreams. I also want to thank my teammates because without them I would not be here as football is a team game. It’s very special for me, Manchester City is the best club in the world, thanks to them things have been much easier. I want to thank Luis (De La Fuente) for trusting me,” he said.

Following his second-place finish for the men’s Ballon d’Or award, Brazil and Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior broke his silence on being snubbed for the top award. Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been named the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or winner following his outstanding performance during the 2023-24 season, in which he helped his club secure the English Premier League title for the fourth consecutive time. Rodri also played a crucial role for the Spanish national team, contributing to their victory at the 2024 Euros in Germany, where they defeated England 2-1 in July. He was named Player of the Tournament. The 28-year-old defensive midfielder was instrumental throughout last season, providing defensive stability as well as key passes for both his club and country, totalling 14 assists in all competitions.

Additionally, Rodri scored 10 goals during the 2023-24 season. With this win, he becomes the first Premier League player to receive the Ballon d’Or since Cristiano Ronaldo did so in 2008 while at Manchester United.

After Rodri won the award, the 24-year-old Vinicius, well known for his fight against racism in sport as much as his brilliant, match-winning performances on the football pitch, took to X and wrote, “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”

Eu farei 10x se for preciso. Eles não estão preparados.

— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) October 28, 2024

While it is not entirely clear what the striker is aiming to “do 10 times”, the disappointment and resilience in Vinicius looks pretty evident and he would no doubt be fired up to continue scoring goals, winning trophies and standing up for important social causes, most notably racism, whenever needed. Over the years, there have been instances of the footballer receiving racist comments from football fans and his fight against it has been well appreciated and supported by football and the broader sporting community.

Vinicius’ teammate in Real Madrid and English midfielder took the third spot in the Ballon d’Or race.

Meanwhile, Barcelona Femeni player Aitana Bonmati won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive time.

Additionally, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti received the Johan Cruyff Trophy as the men’s coach of the year, while former Chelsea coach Emma Hayes took home the women’s award after leading the USA to Olympic gold this summer. Real Madrid was also recognised as the men’s club of the year.

Barcelona wonder kid and Spanish winger, Lamine Yamal was awarded the Kopa Trophy for the best male player under the age of 21, while Argentine and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin Trophy for the second time in a row.

Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri bagged the Ballon d’Or 2024 title, beating Real Madrid duo Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham to the top podium spot. The name of the winner was leaked on social media hours before the official announcement was made in a glittering ceremony in France, prompting an intense debate on social media. After Real Madrid decided not to travel to Paris, making their stance clear to boycott the event, it became clear that the leaks were, in fact, correct.

As Rodri was officially named the winner of the men’s Ballon d’Or 2024, a section of fans expressed their disappointment, suggesting the Brazilian Vinicius should’ve bagged the prized individual honour. But, was Vinicius truly robbed of the award?

How is the Ballon d’Or winner decided?

According to UEFA, the Ballon d’Or honour is awarded every year by an international jury of specialised journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings (before the lists are published) for men and the top 50 for women.

Each juror selects ten players in descending order of merit from a list of 30 established by the editorial staff of France Football, members of the editorial staff of L’Equipe, the best juror from the previous edition – Costa Rica for the men’s Ballon d’Or, South Africa for the women’s Ballon d’Or – and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo for the men’s trophy and Nadine Kessler for the women’s trophy.

The ten selected players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The Ballon d’Or is awarded to the player with the highest number of points.

On what basis do journalists vote?

While casting votes, a player’s individual performances take first priority. The player’s decisive contributions and character in top games take precedent while team performances, achievements, class and fairplay come next into consideration.

1) Individual performances, decisive and impressive character

2) Team performances and achievements

3) Class and fair play

Was Rodri the deserved Ballon d’Or winner?

Rodri was arguably Manchester City’s most important player in the 2023-24 season, helping the team win its 4th consecutive league title. He was also named UEFA Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament as Spain clinched the title by beating England in the final.

The Spaniard is widely considered as the best No. 6 (defensive midfielder) in the game at present, with Manchester City barely losing a game when was in the team’s starting XI. Rodri was also a pivotal player for Spain in their Euro 2024 campaign, providing the required balance between attack and defence that made La Roja worthy champions.

As for Vinicius, while his contributions for Real Madrid in the Champions League and Spanish La Liga, he wasn’t as influential for Brazil. Controversies and chatter around his character and conduct didn’t do his image a favour. Hence, it was Rodri who emerged triumphant in the Ballon d’Or race.

Rodri limped off the pitch during Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.© X (Twitter)