Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodrigo Cascante, known as Rodri, has officially been named the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner. The Ballon d’Or is a prestigious award that recognizes the best players in the sport over the previous year and has been presented by French publication France Football since the 1950s.
The award being given to Rodri comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr., who finished 2nd in the voting, was hotly tipped to win the award before the event, with the voters ultimately choosing the Manchester City midfielder. This decision became hugely controversial — especially for Real Madrid — who decided not to send even one delegate to the Ballon d’Or ceremony in protest once they learned that their player did not win the award.
However, it is no secret that Rodri was one of the best midfielders in the entire sport last year and was the vital cog in the machine for Manchester City’s recent domestic and European success, including Spain’s victory in the EURO 2024 competition. This year, Rodri won three trophies with Manchester City (a fourth consecutive Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup) and the EURO with Spain.
His club manager, Pep Guardiola, praised the player and said that Spanish football ‘deserved’ the award.
“I think Rodri perfectly represents City, but also Spanish football and their influence in world football,” said Guardiola. “In the last 10, 15 years it has been massively important – not just winning trophies but the way they play,”
“Maybe in that moment Xavi and Iniesta deserved it as well. I think maybe Rodri gets what Spanish football deserves.”
Rodri made 63 appearances last year and bagged 12 goals and 15 assists in the process. When he is playing, Manchester City holds their opponents to an average of 0.9 goals per game but jumps to 1.3 when Rodri is not on the pitch. But his contributions to City’s attack may be undervalued as a player typically known for his defensive ability, as City scores an average of 2.7 goals when he is playing, vs. 1.4 when he is not. In the 2023/24 Premier League season, Manchester City did not lose a single game that Rodri played.
It is for this reason that Rodri is the justified winner of the Ballon d’Or, despite recent debates. While Vinicius Jr. helped drive Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League titles, he had an underwhelming Copa America campaign with Brazil and did not bring home any silverware. In all, the winger had 35 goals and assists across all competitions.
