Why Spain linchpin Rodri deserves to win Ballon d’Or

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Best player of Euros 

“For me, Rodri is the best player in the world, please give him the Ballon d’Or now,” said Luis de la Fuente after Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph. English pundits and supporters rejoiced as the Manchester City star failed to re-emerge for the second half of the final and their reaction was understandable. Rodri was immense as he dictated the opening 45 minutes in Berlin and the 28-year-old was rightly awarded player of the tournament.

Since the start of 2023, Rodri has only lost four games in which he’s started and the defensive midfielder has now picked up eight trophies during that time period. His importance to Man City and Spain can’t be overstated and he should be the leading contender to win the Ballon d’Or in September. When it comes to individual awards, attacking players are traditionally favoured but Rodri deserves recognition for his exceptional season. 

Why Rodri deserves to win the Ballon d’Or?

It’s difficult to produce a legitimate argument that any player consistently outperformed Rodri across the 2023/24 season. The Spaniard seldom has a bad game and he’s comfortably the best player in the world in his position. Rodri enjoys incredible influence on games due to his calmness, tactical intelligence and technical excellence. His ability to control games is unrivalled in modern football and he’s now regarded in the same esteem as his revered Spanish predecessors in Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Xabi Alonso. Rodri is the epitome of a team player without ego and he rarely indulges the limelight but he accepted the acclaim after beating England after being asked about the prospect of winning the Ballon d’Or.

“Spanish football deserves a Ballon d’Or winner,” he said. “I’m going to be honest, I would like for a Spaniard to win it, I don’t care who. It would be great. I’ve heard that Daniel Carvajal also deserves it. From an individual standpoint, I’m very proud of what I am doing and the recognition I’m getting.” If the award was based of performances alone – not winning the Champions League or reputations – then Rodri should be the leading candidate.

The Ballon d’Or candidates 

Vinicius Junior is the strong favourite to win the famous award presented by French magazine French Football. The Brazilian winger was instrumental as Real Madrid won their second Champions League title in three years, scoring in the final against Borussia Dortmund. Real Madrid also won La Liga with Vinicius Jr finishing the season with 33 goal contributions in 39 games for the Spanish giants. The 24-year-old became the joint-most valuable player in the world at €180 million after a €30m update in the latest La Liga market value update. A disappointing Copa America campaign with Brazil could count against Vinicius but he will be in contention alongside teammate Jude Bellingham. 

The 21-year-old enjoyed a remarkable start to his Madrid career after moving from Borussia Dortmund for €103m. Bellingham acclimatised brilliantly and went on an incredible run of scoring goals and providing assists. The Englishman has also developed a reputation for stepping up on the big occasions after two match winning goals against Barcelona and assists in the Champions League and Euro 2024 finals. Despite finishing with 36 goal contributions for Madrid, Bellingham’s performance levels dropped in 2024 and he wasn’t at his best during Euro 2024.