Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been named the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.
Rodri is now the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award.
The 28-year-old who picked up an ACL injury in September against Arsenal, enjoyed the standout season of his career in 2023-24, winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title and lifting the Euro 2024 trophy with Spain.
He won the Best Player award from the tournament in Germany last summer despite being forced off at half-time in the final against England.
He was helped on to the stage after arriving on crutches, having been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Also, he went 74 games – and 475 days – without experiencing defeat for club and country during the past year, with the run coming to an end in the FA Cup final against Manchester United last May.
The last time Rodri lost a Premier League game was a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham in February 2023.
He becomes the first defensive midfielder to win the award, stretching back to 1956, while he is the first Spaniard to do so since Luis Suarez of Barcelona in 1960.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr was widely expected to win his first-ever Ballon d’Or.
But news emerged that Real Madrid’s entourage would not be attending the ceremony at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, sparking reports that he would be pipped to the prize by City’s midfield maestro.
