Spain and Manchester City star Rodri is the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, edging out top contenders like Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., who notably skipped the ceremony in protest. Rodri succeeds Lionel Messi, last year’s winner, and becomes only the 11th player of the 21st century outside of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the prestigious award.
The Spanish midfielder was a pivotal figure for both Manchester City and Spain last season. With City, he captured the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup titles. Representing Spain, he also lifted the Euro trophy. Across all competitions, he delivered with 10 goals and 14 assists.
Before Messi and Ronaldo shared the award for a decade, the last player to claim it was Kaka in 2007. Previous winners included Luis Figo, Michael Owen, Ronaldo Nazario, Pavel Nedved, Andriy Shevchenko, Ronaldinho, and Fabio Cannavaro.
Luka Modric then broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly in 2018 after leading Croatia to the World Cup final and playing a critical role in Real Madrid’s Champions League victory. Messi returned to win in 2019 after securing La Liga with Barcelona and again in 2021 after lifting the Copa America with Argentina.
In 2022, Karim Benzema claimed the award after leading Real Madrid to triumphs in both the UEFA Champions League and La Liga. Then, in 2023, Messi once again won the award following his remarkable performance in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory.
All the Ballon d’Or winners of 21th century
- 2000 – Luis Figo
- 2001 – Michael Owen
- 2002 – Ronaldo
- 2003 – Pavel Nedved
- 2004 – Andriy Shevchenko
- 2005 – Ronaldinho
- 2006 – Fabio Cannavaro
- 2007 – Kaka
- 2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo
- 2009 – Lionel Messi
- 2010 – Lionel Messi
- 2011 – Lionel Messi
- 2012- Lionel Messi
- 2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo
- 2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo
- 2015 – Lionel Messi
- 2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo
- 2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo
- 2018 – Luka Modric
- 2019 – Lionel Messi
- 2020 – There wasn’t an award due to COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2021 – Lionel Messi
- 2022 – Karim Benzema
- 2023 – Lionel Messi
- 2024 – Rodri
Rodri’s impressive 2023-24 campaign
- Champion of the 2024 Euro Cup with the Spanish National Team.
- Champion of the 2023 UEFA Nations League with the Spanish National Team.
- Champion of the 2023-24 Premier League with Manchester City.
- Champion of the 2023 Club World Cup with Manchester City.
- Champion of the 2023 UEFA Super Cup with Manchester City.
- MVP of the 2024 Euro Cup tournament with the Spanish National Team.
- MVP of the 2023 UEFA Nations League final with the Spanish National Team.
- MVP of the 2023 UEFA Nations League tournament with the Spanish National Team.
- Golden Ball winner of the 2023 Club World Cup tournament with Manchester City.
Rodri becomes fourth Spanish player to win the award
With this win, Rodri becomes the fourth Spanish player to win the Ballon d’Or, and the second man after Luis Suarez (1960) to do so. Meanwhile, Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati complete the list.