Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been named the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming the first Premier League player in 16 years to scoop the prestigious prize.
Rodri, who picked up an ACL injury in September against Arsenal, enjoyed the standout season of his career in 2023-24, winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title and lifting the Euro 2024 trophy with Spain.
The 28-year-old won the Best Player award from the tournament in Germany last summer despite being forced off at half-time in the final against England.
He was helped on to the stage after arriving on crutches, having been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Remarkably, Rodri also went 74 games – and 475 days – without experiencing defeat for club and country during the past year, with the run coming to an end in the FA Cup final against Manchester United last May.
The last time Rodri lost a Premier League game was a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham in February 2023. He becomes the first defensive midfielder to win the award, stretching back to 1956, while he is the first Spaniard to do so since Luis Suarez of Barcelona in 1960.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr was widely expected to win his first-ever Ballon d’Or.
The previous Premier League player to receive the accolade was Cristiano Ronaldo, who was at Manchester United in 2008 when he was crowned the winner.
Karim Benzema’s win in 2022 – then a Real Madrid player – came after Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had won all but one of the previous 13 titles between them. Messi won the award for the eighth time last year after inspiring Argentina’s World Cup heroics in Qatar.
Barcelona star Aitana Bonmati won the women’s Ballon d’Or award for a second year running.
The 26-year-old Barcelona playmaker had been the clear favourite for the award after starring in both La Liga F and the women’s Champions League, in which Barcelona lifted the trophy for the third time in four years last season.
