Rodri versus Vinicius: Ballon d’Or 2024 leads to new controversy with final ranking and voting process

The Ballon d’Or, an award designed to recognize the most dominant player in football, has always come with an element of controversy. This year the discourse has come full circle Rodri‘s victory Vinicius illustrates the difficulties in defining the impact of one player on that of another. Rodri, who played a crucial role in City’s historic treble-winning season, earned his recognition by excelling in both club and international play, underlining his influence in a highly talented team.

With Rodri becoming only the second Spanish men’s player to claim the Ballon d’Or, this year’s awards ceremony has created unique tensions and left Real Madrid disappointed and outspoken about the outcome. His victory marked a momentous achievement for Spanish football, making him only the second Spanish player to take home the Ballon d’Or. For Manchester citythe victory was a source of pride, especially in light of the strained relationship with Real Madrid, who were noticeably absent from the ceremony in Paris. The Spanish giants had expected Vinicius Júnior to claim the title, with club president Florentino Perez even planning to send a large delegation to the event.

However, according to reports, as soon as Madrid’s management discovered that Vinicius would not winthey canceled their planned Parisian festivities. Perez canceled a five-hour broadcast initially scheduled for the club’s official television station, highlighting the disappointment within the club and among Vinicius’ supporters.

France Football’s efforts to maintain secrecy

Before the announcement, France footballthe organizer of the Ballon d’Or, emphasized that the name of the winner would be not be leaked to the press. Nevertheless, rumors arose Vinicius’ camp last week, just a day before the awards ceremony, with sources from the Spanish Football Federation confirms Rodri victory. These reports sent shockwaves in Spain, where there was confidence that the Brazilian’s chances had remained high until the final hours.

Rodri, reportedly confident of his position, is said to have openly discussed his expectations with teammates. This display of confidence, along with Madrid’s last-minute discovery, added to the growing tension between the two clubs, who have historically had a complex rivalry on and off the pitch.

How the votes were cast: Breaking down points

L’Equipe, a French sports newspaper, reported that the final point lies between the two Rodri and Vinicius were close, with only 41 points separating the two (1170 vs. 1129). Each journalist was asked to rank their top ten players, with points awarded as follows: 15 points for first place, 12 points for second, 10 for third, and so onup to 1 point for tenth place. With a maximum of 1,485 points just for the taking 100 journalists were designated as voters this year, and one, representing Syria, did not cast a vote.

Interestingly enough, five journalists ranked England’s Jude Bellingham as their top choice. In addition to Bellingham, four votes were cast for Carvajal in first place, two for Toni Kroos and one for each Mbappe, Lookman, Haaland and Lautaro Martinez. The divergent opinions illustrate the breadth of talent in the global football arena and the inherent subjectivity of selecting a single winner.

But the distribution of votes also raised eyebrows. Three journalists have left the Brazilian out of their top ten completelyleading to further criticism from Los Blancos supporters, who claim his season deserved more recognition.