Manchester City and Spain national football team midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante, popularly known as Rodri, has won the 2024 Ballon d’Or award given by L’Equipe and France Football and the football world is divided.
The midfielder is the first since Real Madrid’s Luka Modric to win it and the first defensive midfielder in the history of the award to be crowned as the world’s best player.
It is an award that has divided opinion as the football world initially expected one of Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Jr or Jude Bellingham to win it. These three men, on the orders of their club president Florentino Perez were missing from the awards ceremony because of a perceived disrespect from the organisers who chose Rodri over his players.
Real Madrid’s absence from the gala event despite their manager Carlo Amcelotti being crowned as the best manager in the world and their men’s team winning the team of the year award has also rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. However, the reaction was not unexpected because of the (deserved) high esteem the institution holds themselves and the high horse they sometimes sit atop.
The club put out a statement in the wake of their surprise at the Manchester City man ousting their players, saying: “If the criteria of the award do not proclaim Vinicius the winner, those same criteria must proclaim Carvajal the winner. Since this has not been the case, it is obvious that the Ballon d’Or and UEFA do not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid is not where it is not respected.”
While Los Blancos lick their wounds, Rodri has received tributes from all across the football world including Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Joleon Lescott.
Lescott was speaking on television after the ceremony and outlined why he believed Rodri was a deserving winner despite Real Madrid’s front runners being UCL winners and UEFA European Championship finalists (with Carvajal joining Rodri to lift the trophy).
“I think his ability is something everyone can see and recognise, but the level of consistency he has set, I think he’s one of a few players that is able to play to his maximum level week in, week out,” the former Man City defender told TNT Sports.
“That’s probably the standout thing for me. We do see a lot of other players play to their maximum, but for me, not as often as Rodri.”
“His importance to both Man City and Spain has been evident in the trophies they’ve won and the bar they’ve set.”
“A testament to him in regard to what he’s achieved, so congratulations to him and I hope he enjoys this honour in such a tough time for him individually, being injured.”
Rodri is unlikely to retain his Ballon d’Or next year not for a lack of talent or hard work, but due to his injuries. The Spaniard is currently recovering from an injury that will not see him play until April at the earliest, when the 2024/25 season will be all but wrapped up.
