Ballon d’Or: Rodri’s win signals a new era for Spanish football

PARIS: Manchester City midfielder Rodri was awarded the Ballon d’Or, recognising the Spaniard’s exceptional contributions to football over the past year.

The 28-year-old from Madrid defeated several famous candidates, including Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. Rodri’s role in Manchester City’s historic fourth consecutive Premiere League title and Spain’s European Championship victory played a huge part in netting the prestigious award.

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Rodri has become the first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d’Or since Lothar Matthaus in 1990, and only the third Spaniard, following Alfredo Di Stefano and Luis Suarez.

His victory is particularly huge as it ends a six decade drought for  Spanish players despite Spain’s previous success in the world cup; and European championships.

In his acceptance speech, Rodri stated that the award represented not just his personal achievement but a recognition of Spanish football, and the important role midfielders played.

“This is not just a victory for me; it for Spanish football and for all the players who have deserved this recognition”.

The win is also significant as Rodri becomes only the third player to claim the Ballon d’Or since 2008 who is not Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo.

This year also marks the first time since 2003 that neither of the two football icons appeared on the final nominee list.

Other wins

Lamine Yamal received the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player, while Aitana Bonmati was awarded the women’s Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Hermoso was honoured with the Socrates Award for  her advocacy in promoting women’s rights within football.

Real Madrid was recognised as the “Men’s Club of the Year”, despite their absence from the ceremony. Carlo Ancelloti, the club’s manager, was named the “Men’s Coach of the Year”.

Barcelona secured the “Women’s Club of the Year”  title after achieving a double in both, the European and Spanish leagues last season.

Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane jointly received the Gerd Muller Trophy for the most goals scored in club and international competitions last season, each netting 52 goals.

Emiliano Martinez retained the Lev Yashin Award for the best goalkeeper, while Emma Hayes was recognised as the best women’s coach.

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The Ballon d’Or was established by France Football in 1956 for men and in 2018 for women. It is awarded based on votes from journalists worldwide. Each journalist selects ten players in ranked order, with points allocated accordingly.

The player with the highest total points is declared the winner.