Ballon d’Or: Why Rodri Deserves the 2024 Award Ahead of Vinicius Junior

• Rodri is widely expected to add a Ballon d'Or podium finish to his growing list of reputable achievements
• He dictated almost everything Manchester City and Spain did en route to winning the Premier League and the Euros
• While Vinicius Junior is in line for a major win on Monday, TUKO.co.ke looks at why Rodri deserves a shout as well

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You'll have to go back to 2006 for the last time a defensive-minded player won the Ballon d'Or Award.

Virgil Van Dijk was the recent defender to come desperately close to winning it when he finished second behind Lionel Messi in 2019. Five years later, questions are bound to arise about whether the time is ripe for a defensive midfielder to take the crown.

If Rodri makes the trip to Paris on Monday night, he will most likely do so in crutches, having suffered that season-ending injury.

The 2024 award is Rodri's or Vinicius Junior's to lose. Many outlets have already indicated that the latter will be announced as the winner after a glittering campaign with Real Madrid.

Why Rodri deserves the Ballon d'Or

Much has been said about Vinicius Junior and why he rightly deserves to win, but allow me to play the devil's advocate and offer a counterproposition.

For starters, this is a player who has forgotten how to lose in Manchester City colours. And anytime he was absent last season, even the tactical genius that is Pep Guardiola couldn't get his team to tick normally.

The Ballon d'Or always emphasises individual performances, which is why defenders, most of the time, go under the radar. The football mind has been programmed to understand that 20 goals will always be better than 20 clean sheets.

Rodri's stats 2023/2024

But even as the defensive player he is, Rodri chipped in with 12 goals and 15 assists which is ridiculous for a player in his position whichever way you look at it.

His aforementioned unbeaten run with Manchester City helped Guardiola's side to a fourth consecutive title. He also only missed the last 45 minutes of Spain's Euro 2024 triumph. He was named the Player of the Tournament, which, again, is impressive for a player in his position.

Vinicius Junior's run in the Champions League knockout stages gives him an edge over Rodri. However, his outing with Brazil at the Copa America will surely have a couple of voters thinking otherwise.

How are Ballon d'Or winners decided?

The voters will look at the individual contributions, how the contributions helped the team and the fair play of the nominees. The question that will be answered at the Théâtre du Châtelet on Monday will be whether Real Madrid, Manchester City and Spain would still have achieved what they did if you removed Vinicius and Rodri from the teams.

Vinicius Jr's numbers will work against Rodri

Alba Reinado, a Spanish-based journalist and head of communication at Cadiz, is psyched at the idea of a Spanish player winning the award, but he is not getting carried away.

"It is true that as a Spaniard, I would love to see a player like Rodri receive the Ballon d'Or. But it is also true that Vinicius's form and everything he is achieving puts him at the top of the list to win the Ballon d'Or," he tells TUKO.co.ke.

Reinado admits that Vinicius' position and superior numbers might end up being divisive for him.

"I am not a big fan of his performance, but the numbers don't lie, and he is currently the deserving winner of this award."

No one can dispute that Vinicius Junior deserves it, but after the kind of season Rodri had, what else can a player in his position do?

Final 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings

TUKO.co.ke has also provided the Ballon d'Or 2024 final rankings ahead of the award ceremony on Monday night.

The season ended in July following the conclusion of the Euro and Copa America tournaments won by Spain and Brazil respectively.