Rodri wins the 2024 Ballon d’Or: Top 10 revealed and why the City man clinched it

Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante is the name of the 2024 Ballon d’Or Winner.

These are words that very few people were expecting to type tonight. But after a late twist on Monday afternoon, when it was revealed that no Real Madrid staff member, coach or player of consequence would travel to Paris for the awards ceremony, Rodri became the dead cert.

Here, we'll look at why he won and who joined him in the top-10.

Rodri wins the 2024 Ballon d'Or: How he did it

Rodri was a beast for both club and country in the 2023/24 season. For the Citizens, he took part in 34 domestic league games, scoring on eight occasions, whilst providing teammates with nine assists. The Spaniard also managed to score in the UEFA Champions League.

Despite being a humble defensive midfielder, Rodri’s unyielding character is what helped him take part in many goals for his club.

However, what really clinched the Ballon d’Or for Rodri was his mind-blowing performances during Euro 2024. He was the heart and soul of the Spain midfield, and it came as no surprise that he scooped the Player of the Tournament award for his contribution.

The 2024 Ballon d'Or top-10

Despite a great season, Rodri was never a certain winner. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were the runners up in the Ballon d’Or chase, but both of them had a real shot, as a Real Madrid-rich top-10 breakdown reveals:

Judging by the minimal difference in club and country-level honours between the podium finishers inside the top-10, we can safely say that this was pretty much a neck-and-neck race from start to finish.

At one point it looked like Vini would put an end to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s decade-long domination, but Rodri snatched it at the last possible moment. That much was suspected when Vini Jr., Bellingham, Florentino Perez, and Carlo Ancelotti didn't travel to Paris earlier today.

Rodri’s win has wider significance too, as it not only draws a line under Lionel Messi's recent hold over the competition, but also ends Spain's 64-year wait for a winner.

As well as being Manchester City's maiden recipient after rivals United's prior history of winning it, he's also the first man to collect the award as a Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008.

In addition, it's a relatively rare event for a holding midfielder to overcome a winger or forward in the race for the Ballon d'Or, and with a line finally drawn under the Messi and Ronaldo rivalry in this context, it will  be interesting to see if he can go two for two with a classy display in 2024/25 as well.