Monday was certainly a busy day in the footballing world.
In the morning, Erik ten Hag was ousted as Manchester United manager after last Sunday’s 2-1 loss at West Ham, with Ruben Amorim rumoured to be the frontrunner to replace the Dutchman.
Then in the evening, Manchester City star Rodri claimed the Ballon d’Or award at a ceremony in Paris, finishing ahead of Real Madrid pair Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
Vinicius was long touted as the favourite to claim the prize after his dazzling displays in last season’s Champions League, which Los Blancos won.
But it is Rodri who emerged victorious, making him the first Spaniard to lift the accolade since Luis Suarez way back in 1960.
The individual success was certainly a bit of a surprise, so much so that Real – who were voted Club of the Year and saw Carlo Ancelotti named Best Coach of the Year – boycotted the ceremony.
So, let’s discuss one of the most controversial and talked about Ballon d’Or galas in recent history.
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Rodri Wins
Let’s start with Rodri, the winner of the prize and the first while playing for a Premier League club since Cristiano Ronaldo way back in 2008.
The Spaniard has been the best midfielder in the world for quite some time now and in 2023-24, he was typically brilliant.
On top of being City’s lynchpin, he scored eight goals and provided nine assists in 34 Premier League appearances as City claimed a fourth consecutive title.
As well as further highlighting his immense importance at club level, Rodri excelled like few others on international duty.
The ex-Atletico Madrid man was voted the Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament as Spain lifted the trophy by winning all seven of their games.
Few players in the world – if any – are as important to their team as Rodri, evidenced by the fact that City won only five and lost four of the nine games he missed last season.
The Ballon d’Or has been dominated by attack-minded players since Fabio Cannavaro finished top of the voting in 2006, so it is quite refreshing to see another pragmatic genius heralded by the masses.
Vinicius Loses
It looked for all the world that Vinicius would win the Ballon d’Or, especially after scoring in the Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund.
But the Brazilian international, who is no doubt one of the most exciting players in the world to watch, has to make do with a silver medal and it is perhaps not too hard to understand why when you diver deeper into the numbers.
Vinicius missed part of last season with injury, a knock which restricted him to just 26 appearances in La Liga.
He scored 15 goals and notched five assists in that time, a very good but yet not spectacular return for a player of his ilk. Bellingham netted 19 times in 28 appearances, in case you were wondering.
Of course, Vinicius was one of the dominant forces in the 2023-24 Champions League, firing in six goals and recording four more assists on his way to being named the competition’s Player of the Season.
But perhaps what let the ex-Flamengo star down the most in terms of the Ballon d’Or was the failure to deliver on the international stage.
Vinicius really struggled at this summer’s Copa America as Brazil were dumped out by Uruguay at the quarter-final stage. The 24-year-old has scored only five goals in 35 appearances for the South American nation, a really poor return.
When you are competing against a man like Rodri, who rarely drops below an 8/10 performance, that level of inconsistency will ultimately prove fatal.
Conclusion
On his day, Vinicius is the most breathtaking and devastating footballer on the planet, one capable of tearing any defence to shreds.
But it must be remembered that this sport is not all about goals, assists and flashy tricks. Or for lack of a better term, ‘moments’.
Without midfield generals like Rodri, players like Vinicius, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland would not be allowed to thrive in the manner which they do.
If Vinicius had won the Ballon d’Or, few could have argued against it and he would have been rightly congratulated.
However, the same principles must be applied to Rodri and the faux outrage over his victory is bizarre in the extreme.
One great player had to win, one equally great player had to lose, it is as simple as that really.
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