After months of speculation, Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri was the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, edging Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, who ended second, as well as defender Dani Carvajal. Carlo Ancelotti, who won the Men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy for Coach of the Year, appeared to take a subtle jab at France Football for the snub.
Just minutes after Rodri’s win was confirmed, Ancelotti wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account: “I want to thank my Family, my President, my Club, my Players and above all Vini and Carvajal.” It’s worth noting that Jude Bellingham was also nominated for the award, and it ended third. However, the “above all” seems a subtle jab at the organization.
Ahead of today’s ceremony in Paris, reports indicated that the entire Real Madrid entourage would skip the trip to the French capital upon learning that Vinicius would not be receiving the award. However, the club was still honored during the ceremony, winning the title of Men’s Best Club in the World.
Vinicius Junior had a strong case for the award after winning LaLiga and the Champions League, being the best player of the European tournament. He scored 15 goals in LaLiga, and six in the Champions League, including in the semifinals against Bayern and in the final against Borussia Dortmund.
Rodri of Manchester City poses for a photograph with the Premier League Trophy (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
However, Rodri also had enough merits for winning the award. He won the Premier League with Manchester City and the 2024 Euros with Spain, being a key player in both squads. Despite being a defensive midfielder, he scored 10 goals and gave 14 assists in all competitions.
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Benzema also reacts to Vinicius’ snub
Another player who made his feelings known on the matter was Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner. The former Real Madrid star shared an Instagram story featuring a photo of himself with Vinicius, captioned “Trop fort,” which translates to “too good.”
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In contrast, Antoine Griezmann reacted happily to the announcement. Writing “Rodri!” with heart emojis, he expressed his excitement on X (formerly Twitter), referencing their time together at Atletico Madrid.
