Rodri Ballon d’Or after the Messi era – Cristiano Rolando, the victory of football

The next day, the first real one, the one without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo somewhere in the Ballon d’Or rankings (and often at the top) and already the Ballon d’Or is completely turned upside down. The ultimate individual award in international football went to Rodri, not the most spectacular player, nor really a superstar. The triumph of the Spaniard from Manchester City is that of another football, that of the needy who take the light, that of a player who enhances the collective rather than being the incarnation of a system.

Even in his evening, the one where all eyes should be on him and his name on everyone’s lips, Rodri was not the star. The microcosm of football awaited Vinicius, the provocative dribbler as the big winner of this 68th edition. He finally offered a small semblance of justice and “normality”. After the hegemony of the duo of absolute icon attackers whose goals we replayed all weekend long, the Ballon d’Or is the property of a hard-working midfielder whose action it is almost difficult to remember. brilliance of his season. And it’s terribly refreshing.

There was obviously nothing wrong with the flamboyance of the Messi – CR7 era. There had also been along the way the ” anomalies ” Luka Modric in 2018, even Karim Benzema in 2022. That of the Croatian found its source as much in his own exercise as in a year of poor form, at least given their standards, of the two football gluttons. Benzema was from the same caste of scorers, those who are naturally put forward. Rodri is not the face of Manchester City, nor much more that of Spain which now only has eyes for the new phenomenon Lamine Yamal. But it is both one of the lungs, and a good part of the heart and the brain. Qualities just as necessary to find greatness.

Make no mistake, his 9 goals and 14 assists in all competitions in 2023-2024 are impressive for a non-offensive player. They don’t make your eyes widen, however. That’s not it, Rodri.

It’s a host of accurate transmissions, which save meters, put his teams in the direction of march, in the direction of the game. It’s a shadow role, sometimes a little thankless, to scratch, to bark like a pack leader, and log the miles while keeping a cool head game after game. Like so many other great players before him who were not entitled to the same honors.

“I believe that this trophy confirms my victory but the victory of so many Spanish players, Iniesta, Xavi… It is a victory for Spanish football and the figure of the midfielder. We are often overshadowed by players from other positions. But today we are in full light” perfectly summed up the man of the evening. He also comes to “avenge” a whole part of his profession and his art, as much as his country, him, the first Iberian Ballon d’Or since 1960, even when Spanish football, both club and national team dominated the planet.

Of the 46 Ballon d’Or winners, around ten could claim to be midfielders. But a majority of them, Cruyff, Platini, Zidane, Gullit were artists, number 10s at heart. Rodri is a builder, arriving at Manchester City as a true defensive midfielder, from one of the teams with the most locked-in play, Diego Simeone’s Atlético. Pep Guardiola was able to make him a complete midfield player, first ramp and necessary support for the soloists up front. “When you are a midfielder, when you want to excel, it requires even more effort because these are the positions that require ithe explained after receiving his Grail. You almost have to be like a striker, placements have changed a lot since the 2000s.“

Not so surprising to see that the new Ballon d’Or 2024 was not voted best player in the Premier League last season, his peers preferring his more offensive Mancunian teammate Phil Foden.