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| 2024 Ballon d'Or final ranking. REUTERS Yonhap News |
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Even the wrong victim came out.
The aftermath of the Ballon d'Or is fierce. At the 2024 Ballon d'Or Awards held at the Châtelet Theater in Paris, France on the 29th (Korea time), Rodri was the main character. The Ballon d'Or, organized by French football magazine France Football, is the most honorable trophy a soccer player can receive, given to the player who performed the best in the previous season.
The Ballon d'Or award ceremony, which marks its 68th anniversary this year, was held jointly with the UEFA. The winners were determined by voting from 100 press corps around the world for the 30 finalists who performed outstandingly from August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024.
The winner of the men's player category, which drew attention, was Rodri. Rodri, who was present on crutches, was handed the Ballon d'Or by George Weah 'Liberian Football Hero'. Rodri became the first Spanish winner in 64 years since Luis Suarez Miramontes in 1960. Rodri was named the third Spanish winner of all time after Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959) and Suarez.
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This is the first time a player born in the 1990s has won the Ballon d'Or. Rodri was born in 1996. Cristiano Ronaldo (5 times), born in 1985, and Lionel Messi (8 times), born in 1987, dominated for a long time, while Luca Modric, who caused an upset, was born in 1985, and Kareem Benzema was born in 1987. Rodri became the first Ballon d'Or winner in Manchester City's club history with this award. He was also the winner of the English Premier Leaguer Ballon d'Or, which took place 16 years after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008.
Rodri is undoubtedly the best midfielder in the world. Manchester City is full of top players, but there is no replacement for Rodri. He plays the most important role in Pep Guardiola-style football. Manchester City is always strong, but the performance is not very good in Rodri's absence. Manchester City did not lose 52 consecutive games in which Rodri started. In the 174 EPL games that Rodri has played since joining Manchester City, Manchester City has lost only 19.
Rodri also played an important role in Spain's national team, leading them to Euro 2024 championship. Rodri was named the tournament's most valuable player. Rodri plays in a less visible defensive midfielder position, but in recognition of his ability, he ranked fifth at last year's Ballon d'Or. He was considered a stronger candidate this season and made an amazing history of receiving the Ballon d'Or as a defensive midfielder.
Initially, the most likely candidate for the Ballon d'Or was Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, Brazil). There have been reports in Spain that Vinicius has confirmed the award of the Ballon d'Or since last month. Various betting companies also considered Vinicius highly likely to win the award.
Vinicius was a two-time Real Madrid champion. He scored 15 goals and 6 assists in the league to help him win, followed by 6 goals and 5 assists in the European Champions League, giving his team its 15th big year. In particular, he made a strong impression in every big game, scoring a goal in the European Champions League final.
The first-ever winner of the 2000s was expected, but it fluctuated at the last minute. News broke that Vinicius would miss the Ballon d'Or award ceremony, making the atmosphere strange. The entire Real Madrid squad, including Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Carlo Ancelotti, were absent from the Ballon d'Or awards. Real Madrid expressed discomfort that Vinicius was pushed back by external factors, not skills. Real Madrid should be awarded by Dani Carvajal if Vinicius fails to win the award. If not, it is clear that the Ballon d'Or and UEFA do not respect Real Madrid. Vinicius said on his SNS, 'I'll jump ten times more if necessary. They were not ready,' he said, expressing regret.
After the awards ceremony, Brazil went wild. Even the political circles have stepped up. The BBC reported on the 30th that `Brazilian media and politicians criticized Rodri for overtaking Vinicius as the winner of the Ballon d'Or' and that the Brazilian news commentators called Vinicius' failure to win the award a retaliatory measure. It concluded that it was the most controversial decision in history.
Vinicius believes that the failure to win the award is due to racism. British news agency Reuters quoted a close aide to Vinicius saying that `Vinius will continue to fight even if he fails to win the Ballon d'Or for his actions against racism.'
The interpretation of other Brazilian media was no different. Brazil's Globo News reports 'Vinícius is a racist target in Spanish football and Europe. He is fighting against racism, and it may be because of prejudice and racism against Vinicius that Rodri won the prize. There is certainly a question being raised.' ESPN commentator Hodrigo Bueno "Prime Minister Rodri is clearly wrong" Brazil's Estado said that the treatment of Vinicius was the greatest injustice in the history of the Ballon d'Or, adding that the fact that Vinicius played for Real Madrid as a Brazilian should have worked in a more favorable way.
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The anger of Brazilian fans turned to the wrong place. As is known, Rodri doesn't do social media. As a result, there was a firestorm for those with the surname Rodri. American singer-actress Olivia Rodrigo's social media is full of comments from Brazilian fans saying, `You don't deserve the Ballon d'Or.'
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
