Ace Sports Journalist, Michael Oti Adjei, has outlined the factors he considered before voting for Manchester City midfielder Rodri as his first pick in the 2024 Ballon d’Or voting.
Oti Adjei was the Ghanaian representative on the 2024 Ballon d’Or Awards voting panel.
He mentioned that he looked out for the player who made the most impact in games, turned up in the big matches and produced the best moments in the year under review.
“I thought that if you had an individual who had the most impact on a team over the year, I was convinced it was Rodri. My conviction was that, when there were big games, when it mattered most, he wasn’t just a good central midfielder.
“In a game, if you need someone who would control the game, build up-tempo, and attack and score in crunch moments, I always thought you could rely on Rodri,” he told Pure FM.
He affirms the narrative that Rodri won the award for being the most consistent player throughout the season.
“I think he was rewarded for his consistency. He was the best player in 2024 for his consistency. The previous year, I voted for Erling Haaland because I thought that although Rodri’s consistency was incredible, Haaland’s goals and numbers were impossible to ignore.”
Oti Adjei emphasized that Rodri was the most decisive player among the final shortlist, adding that Vinicius’ sub-par run for Brazil cost him the award.
“But for 2024, on the balance of the players who deserved the Ballon d’Or, I thought Rodri was the most decisive for his team. If Vinicius had done as well as Rodri did at the national team level, I think he would have won it.”
Michael Oti Adjei voted for Rodri, Vinicius, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Lamine Yamal as his top five picks.
According to the official votes, Rodri emerged as the award winner with 1170 points, beating Vinicius Jr (1129) by 41 points in the neck-and-neck race.
Watch Michael Oti Adjei explain his Ballon d’Or boring via the video below from the 38th minute:
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