Rodri Wins Ballon d’Or, Aitana Bonmati Claims Women’s Award

On Monday, Rodri, the midfielder for Spain and Manchester City, received the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world, surpassing Brazil’s Vinicius Jr and England’s Jude Bellingham, both from Real Madrid. Aitana Bonmati, a midfielder for Barcelona, secured the women’s award for a second time.

This marks Rodri’s first Ballon d’Or win, recognized for his pivotal role in leading Manchester City to an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title. Additionally, he was honored as the best player at this year’s European Championship, contributing to Spain’s record fourth title. At 28, the Madrid native becomes the first defensive midfielder to win the award since Lothar Matthaus in 1990 and the third Spaniard to achieve this honor, following Alfredo Di Stefano and Luis Suarez.

Rodri expressed gratitude for the recognition, emphasizing it as a victory for Spanish football and highlighting the contributions of fellow midfielders who have yet to be honored. In a surprising turn, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo, who have dominated the award, made the nominees list this year. Portugal’s Ronaldo has not been nominated since moving to Saudi Arabia, and Messi missed out despite Argentina’s Copa America triumph.