FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award candidates revealed, and what are the results of Rodri vs Vinicius return match?
Nov 29, 2024
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FIFA on the 29th (Korea time) unveiled the candidates for each category of the 'The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024'. FIFA, which established the Player of the Year Award in 1991, has been integrating with the Ballon d'Or selected by French football magazine France Football since 2010 and has been holding an award ceremony separately from the Ballon d'Or since 2016.
With candidates for the men's and women's best player, goalkeeper and coach awards simplified by a panel of experts announced, it is also the men's best player that attracts attention. A total of 11 players were named. As many as six Real Madrid players won the European Champions League last season. In addition to Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Dani Carvajal and Toni Kroos were selected.
Rodri and Elling Holan from Manchester City, Ramin Yamal from Barcelona, and Florian Birz from Leverkusen were also selected. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) is the only non-European team to play in the U.S. Major League Soccer. Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in Saudi Arabia, was not nominated again this time following last year.
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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.
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.
The final choice for the Ballon d'Or was Rodri. 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.
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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.
He was also recognized for his ability in games. Rodri became the highest rated defensive midfielder in the history of EA Sports Football Game. Rodri received an overall 91 in the recently released EA Sports FC25. It rose from 89 to 91. Overall 90, ahead of Harry Kane, Kevin DeBriner, Vinicius and Bellingham, tied with Erling Holan and Mbappe. Defensive midfielders are difficult to get good reviews due to the nature of the game, but Rodri has surpassed this.
Initially, the most likely candidate for the Ballon d'Or was Vinicius. 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.
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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.
The aftermath was extraordinary. Brazil is up in the air. The political and business circles even stepped up. Real Madrid players also expressed their discomfort, saying it was unfair. In the end, Bangsang Garcia, the general manager of the Ballon d'Or, stepped up. Garcia said through L'Equipe that "Real Madrid teammates had an adverse effect on Vinicius's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.' He said "The winner of the Ballon d'Or is decided by a vote of 100 journalists. With Real Madrid players Bellingham and Carvajal among the top four candidates, Vinicius' vote would have been dispersed. "So Vinicius lost his vote. " I can guarantee that neither Real Madrid nor Manchester City knew the winner," he added.
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Meanwhile, a total of 16 candidates for the best female player were named, including Aitana Bonmaty and Salma Farayuelo (Barcelona). Trinity Rodman (Washington), the daughter of Dennis Rodman who was famous for being a `mischievous' in the NBA, is the most eye-catching name. While the U.S., the champion of the Paris Olympics, produced the largest number of five, most of the strong teams produced candidates, including Spain, the winner of last year's Women's World Cup, with four and England with three.
Candidates for this year's men's team coach included Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Luis Dera Fuente (Spain), Pep Guardiola (Man City), and Xavi Alonso (Leverkusen). The women's coach award will be contested by eight players, including Emma Hayes, who coached Ji So-yeon at Chelsea, and Futoshi Ikeda, the coach of the Japanese national team.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
