Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, capturing the most prestigious individual accolade in men’s soccer on Monday after another superlative season in which he won the Premier League title with Manchester City and Euro 2024 with Spain.
The midfielder trumped Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, who finished in second place but didn’t attend the ceremony, along with the rest of the Real Madrid delegation that was expected to be at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. They reportedly decided to skip the event because they learned in advance that the Brazilian wouldn’t take home the honor.
Vinicius’ Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal finished third and fourth, respectively.
