At a lavish event in Paris, Rodri, a midfielder for Manchester City, defeated Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid to win the Ballon d’Or.

Consequently, what happened? Last season, the Manchester City midfielder won a number of titles, including the Premier League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and Euro 2024 with Spain. The Real Madrid player did not attend the ceremony after finding out he would not receive the prize, despite Vinicius Jr. being hailed as Rodri’s primary rival. Jude Bellingham, Vinicius’ teammate and another candidate, was also not present.

THE BIGGER PICTURESince Luka Modric was honored in 2018, Rodri is the first midfield player to receive the award. Since then, Karim Benzema has won one prize and Lionel Messi has won three. Robert Lewandowski was the front-runner for the individual trophy in 2020 but was not given the opportunity to win the accolade.

WHAT RODRI SAID

“A very special day, for me, my family, and my country,” Rodri declared as he took the platform.

He continued: “I try to improve every day, try to level up my game.”

“I am just trying to take care of myself,” Rodri continued when asked about his recuperation from his injuries. Get some rest, spend some quality time with my loved ones, and return stronger.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Rodri is currently injured, and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury. City have struggled somewhat without him; they have only kept two clean sheets this season, and just one without the Spaniard in the team.

WHAT NEXT?Although Rodri will concentrate on becoming better, he has received recognition for his efforts this year. On Wednesday, City will take on Tottenham in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 without him.