Whereas many anticipated Vinicius Junior to be topped the world’s greatest participant at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, there was a late twist as Manchester Metropolis’s Rodri took the prize.
The honour – thought-about probably the most prestigious particular person gong in world soccer – comes after Rodri positioned fifth within the voting for the 2023 version, received by Lionel Messi.
Since 2022, voting for the award has been based mostly off contenders’ performances within the earlier season, with Rodri rewarded for a 2023-24 marketing campaign by which he led Metropolis to Premier League glory earlier than shining in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.
Right here, we delve into the Opta information to see how the midfielder got here to be recognised because the world’s greatest participant.
Each @premierleague purpose from Rodri’s immense 2023/24 season! pic.twitter.com/ir8g9tRVRd
— Manchester Metropolis (@ManCity) October 28, 2024
Season unbeaten
Rodri’s significance to Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Metropolis aspect is well-established, however the 2023-24 marketing campaign noticed it made clear like by no means earlier than.
Metropolis didn’t style defeat within the 34 Premier League video games by which Rodri featured, successful 27 and drawing seven. When Rodri was absent, they solely received one in every of 4 matches, shedding the opposite three.
The champions averaged 2.6 targets per recreation with Rodri concerned in comparison with 1.5 with out him, additionally conceding 0.9 instances per outing with the Spaniard and 1.3 instances with out him.
They collected 2.6 factors per recreation when Rodri featured, in comparison with 0.8 when he didn’t – that latter tally would equate to 30.4 over a full 38-game marketing campaign, simply greater than 18th-placed Luton City’s tally of 26 from 2023-24.
Every of Metropolis’s final 4 Premier League defeats have come when Rodri was absent, with the Spaniard now unbeaten in an unbelievable 52 top-flight appearances (42 wins, 10 attracts) since a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in February 2023.
It’s no surprise, then, that Metropolis had been so devastated to lose him to the anterior cruciate ligament damage he suffered in September’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, ending his 2024-25 season prematurely.
The driving power
Rodri has lengthy been seen because the glue holding Metropolis’s gifted midfield collectively, however 2023-24 felt just like the second when he stepped as much as develop into an actual matchwinner.
Having determined the 2023 Champions League closing in Metropolis’s favour along with his purpose towards Inter, Rodri loved probably the most prolific season of his profession final time period.
His eight league targets bettered his earlier better of seven from 2021-22, whereas he additionally managed 9 assists – additionally his highest in any marketing campaign throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues.
He completed with 9 targets and 13 assists throughout all competitions. Simply Erling Haaland (38), Phil Foden (27), Julian Alvarez (19) and Bernardo Silva (12) outscored him for Metropolis, whereas solely Kevin De Bruyne (17) registered extra assists. Not dangerous for a defensive midfielder.
Rodri additionally enhanced his repute as a big-game participant with a number of decisive strikes, from a significant equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea to a result-clinching drive towards West Ham on the ultimate day, as Metropolis edged out Arsenal for the title.
He additionally did his job when it comes to maintaining issues ticking over, setting new Premier League information (from 2003-04 onwards) for profitable passes (3,359) and profitable passes within the opposition’s half (2,122) in a single season.
First for Metropolis, fourth for La Roja
Rodri’s Ballon d’Or triumph is the primary by any Metropolis participant, with Erling Haaland notably lacking out to Messi in 2023. It additionally ends a 16-year await a Premier League participant to assert the prize, with Cristiano Ronaldo the final to take action whereas with Manchester United in 2008.
Having been named Participant of the Match as Spain claimed a record-breaking fourth European crown at Euro 2024, Rodri additionally made his mark on the worldwide stage.
He’s the primary Spanish participant to win soccer’s prime particular person honour since 1960, and simply the third to take action general.
Actual Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stefano received the prize twice after switching allegiance from Argentina, in 1957 and 1959.
This yr’s award was additionally notable for the absence of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from the 30-man shortlist, and Rodri is simply the third participant from outdoors that duo to assert the trophy since 2008, alongside Luka Modric in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022.
He and Modric are the one non-attackers, in the meantime, to triumph since 2007, when Kaka edged out Ronaldo and Messi to be recognised because the world’s greatest.
