Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the prestigious Ballon d'Or throughout history, with the former winning the trophy on eight previous occasions, while the latter has been handed the award five times.
Neither player were nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, though, and it was Rodri that claimed the prize ahead of Real Madrid and Brazil's Vinicius Junior due to his excellent form for Manchester City and Spain between August 2023 and July 2024.
Vinicius' success at Real Madrid during the 2023-24 campaign, which ended in a La Liga and Champions League double, had seen him placed as the favourite, but Rodri's form for Man City, and his Euro 2024 triumph with Spain, led to him securing the prize.
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Who won the 2024 Ballon d'Or?
Real Madrid incredibly boycotted the ceremony when it was leaked that Vinicius would not be winning the main prize.
Rodri instead finished at the summit; the 28-year-old enjoyed an outstanding 2023-24 season for Man City, scoring nine goals and registering 14 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions, and he then helped Spain win Euro 2024.
The midfielder had to be substituted at the interval of the final against England through injury, but he had been outstanding until that point, and his international success played a leading role in him securing the trophy.
"A very special day for me, my family and my country," said Rodri, who is out for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in September, after securing the award.
"Today is not a victory for me, it is for Spanish football, for so many players who have not won it and have deserved it, like [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi, Iker [Casillas], Sergio Busquets, so many others. It is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder."
Rodri became the first Spanish player to win the men's award since 1960, with Jude Bellingham finishing third behind Vinicius, while Dani Carvajal and Erling Haaland made up the top five in the 2024 results.
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2024 Ballon d'Or winners list
Ballon d'Or: Rodri
Ballon d'Or Feminin Aitana Bonmati
Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal
Yashin Trophy: Emiliano Martinez
Gerd Muller Trophy: Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe
Socrates Award: Jenni Hermoso
Men's Club of the Year: Real Madrid
Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona Women
Men's Johan Cruyff Trophy: Carlo Ancelotti
Women's Johan Cruyff Trophy: Emma Hayes
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All previous Ballon d'Or winners year-by-year
1956: Stanley Matthews
1957: Alfredo Di Stefano
1958: Raymond Kopa
1959: Alfredo Di Stefano
1960: Luis Suarez
1961: Omar Sivori
1962: Josef Masopust
1963 Lev Yashin
1964: Denis Law
1965: Eusebio
1966: Bobby Charlton
1967: Florian Albert
1968: George Best
1969: Gianni Rivera
1970: Gerd Muller
1971: Johan Cruyff
1972: Franz Beckenbauer
1973: Johan Cruyff
1974: Johan Cruyff
1975: Oleh Blokhin
1976: Franz Beckenbauer
1977: Allan Simonsen
1978: Kevin Keegan
1979: Kevin Keegan
1980:Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
1982: Paolo Rossi
1983: Michel Platini
1984: Michel Platini
1985: Michel Platini
1986: Igor Belanov
1987: Ruud Gullit
1988: Marco van Basten
1989: Marco van Basten
1990: Lothar Matthaus
1991: Jean-Pierre Papin
1992: Marco van Basten
1993: Roberto Baggio
1994: Hristo Stoichkov
1995: George Weah
1996: Matthias Sammer
1997: Ronaldo
1998: Zinedine Zidane
1999: Rivaldo
2000: Luis Figo
2001: Michael Owen
2002: Ronaldo
2003: Pavel Nedved
2004: Andriy Shevchenko
2005: Ronaldinho
2006: Fabio Cannavaro
2007: Kaka
2008: Cristiano Ronaldo
2009: Lionel Messi
2010: Lionel Messi
2011: Lionel Messi
2012: Lionel Messi
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo
2014: Cristiano Ronaldo
2015: Lionel Messi
2016: Cristiano Ronaldo
2017: Cristiano Ronaldo
2018: Luka Modric
2019: Lionel Messi
2020: Cancelled
2021: Lionel Messi
2022: Karim Benzema
2023: Lionel Messi
2024: Rodri
Matt Law
