Rodri beat stiff competition from Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr to win the coveted award
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been crowned the winner of the Ballon d’Or at a glitzy ceremony in Paris, beating Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr.
Rodri is the first midfielder to win the prize since 2018, when Luka Modric was honoured. Since then, Lionel Messi has won three of the prizes and Karim Benzema has won one; Robert Lewandowski was denied the chance to win the award in 2020 as it was not given, but the Barcelona striker was the frontrunner for the individual trophy. Rodri is the first Premier League player to win the award since 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo was triumphant while playing for Manchester United.
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.
Rodri will focus on his recovery but has been honoured for his performances across the calendar year. Without him, City will play Tottenham in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday.
