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Ballon d'Or winner Rodri explained why he deserved to win the award amid stiff competition.
Manchester City’s Rodri has reiterated that he deserved to win the Ballon d'Or, explaining in a recent media appearance why he pipped Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. to France Football’s coveted prize.
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17:43 - 09.11.2024
Lookman 82 points, Vinicius 1129 points, how Rodri beat Madrid duo to Ballon d'Or
The complete breakdown of the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting has been released.
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23:21 - 04.11.2024
'We won our Ballon d'Or' — Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti reacts to Vinicius snub
Carlo Ancelotti opened up on Vinicius losing the Ballon d'Or award to Rodri.
Rodri's triumphant year
The anticipated Ballon d’Or gala came to a controversial end when Rodri, a defensive midfielder, won the award ahead of a more exciting option in Vinicius Jr.
The Manchester City man finished on 1170 points in the voting breakdown, only 41 more than second-placed Vinicius (1129), underscoring how stiffly contested the award was.
Rodri got the prize for his exceptional year with Manchester City and Spain, in which he won the Premier League and was the Player of the Tournament in a triumphant European Championship campaign with Spain.
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What Rodri said
Despite most voters picking Rodri as the deserved winner, many fans believed Vinicius, who won LALIGA and the Champions League, should have taken home the prize.
In a recent media appearance, the Spaniard backed himself, explaining that he won the award by being the most consistent footballer in the world during the period in review.
"I won the Ballon d'Or because of consistency, which is the most difficult thing in football. I was the most CONSISTENT player in the season."
Meanwhile, Rodri is currently out injured and is expected to miss most, if not all of this season. This means the Ballon d'Or will almost certainly have a winner next year, and Vinicius is already leading the polls.
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