The Ballon d’Or, an award intended to recognize the most dominant football player, always comes with an element of controversy. This year, the discourse around Rodriit’s won Vinicius illustrates the difficulties in defining the impact of one actor in relation to that of another.. Rodri, who played a pivotal role in City’s historic season, earned his recognition by excelling at club and international level, underlining his influence within a deeply talented squad.

With Rodri becoming only the second Spanish player to win the Ballon d’Or, this year’s award generated unique tensions and left Real Madrid disappointed and vocal about the result. His victory marked a momentous achievement for Spanish football, making him only the second Spanish player to win the Ballon d’Or. For Manchester Citythis victory was a source of pride, especially in the face of tense relations with Real Madrid, visibly absent from the ceremony in Paris. The Spanish giants expected Vinicius Júnior to win the title, with club president Florentino Perez even planning to send a large delegation to the event.

However, according to reports, as soon as Madrid management discovered that Vinicius would not winthey abandoned their planned Parisian festivities. Perez canceled a five-hour show originally planned on the club’s official television channel, highlighting the disappointment within the club and among Vinicius supporters.

France Football’s efforts to maintain secrecy

Before the announcement, France Footballthe organizer of the Ballon d’Or, stressed that the name of the winner would be not to be disclosed to the press. However, rumors reached Vinicius camp last week, just a day before the awards ceremony, according to sources in the The Spanish Football Federation confirms Rodri’s victory. This information caused a shock wave in Spain, where confidence in the Brazilian’s chances remained high until the last hours.

Rodri, seemingly confident in his position, is said to have openly discussed his expectations with his teammates. This display of self-confidence, along with Madrid’s last-minute discovery, added to the growing tension between the two clubs, who historically have a complex rivalry on and off the pitch.

How the votes were cast: breakdown of points

L’Equipe, a French sports newspaper, reported that the points total between Rodri and Vinicius were close, with only 41 points separating them (1170 against 1129). Each journalist was asked to rank their top ten players, with points awarded as follows: 15 points for first place, 12 points for second, 10 for third, and so onup to 1 point for tenth place. With a maximum of 1,485 points to win, only 100 journalists were designated voters this year, and one of them, representing Syria, did not vote.

Interestingly, five journalists placed the Englishman Jude Bellingham at the top of their choice. Besides Bellingham, four votes were cast for Carvajal in first place, two for Toni Kroos and one for each. Mbappé, Lookman, Haaland and Lautaro Martinez. The varied opinions illustrate the breadth of talent present on the global football stage and the subjectivity inherent in selecting a single winner.

However, the distribution of votes also raised eyebrows. Three journalists completely omitted the Brazilian from their top tensparking further criticism from Los Blancos supporters, who say his season deserved greater recognition.