In the recent Ballon d'Or ceremony, Rodrigo “Rodri” Hernández has been crowned as the best footballer in the world. The midfielder of Manchester City and the Spanish national team became the second Spaniard in history to receive this prestigious award, after an outstanding season in the Premier League and his crucial role in the Eurocup that Spain won, where he was named the best player of the tournament. Despite attending the gala on crutches due to a recent injury, Rodri overcame other favorites and left his mark on world football, being recognized as the successor to Lionel Messi in this edition of the Ballon d'Or.
The ceremony marked a change of era, as for the first time since 2003, neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo were nominated. The absence of Vinícius Jr., who decided not to attend after learning that he would not receive an award, generated controversy at the event. The delegation from Real Madrid, led by the Brazilian, considered his absence as a protest against what they perceived as a lack of respect in the award selection process.
Regarding the Top 5 best players in the world, besides Rodri, were Vinícius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, and Erling Haaland. Lautaro Martínez, striker for Inter and the Argentine National Team, achieved seventh place, being the best Argentine representative at this year's gala. During the event, Martínez expressed his gratitude and dedicated his ranking position to his teammates, recognizing the collective effort in his individual success.
Additionally, Martínez had a role in the gala by presenting the Lev Yashin award to his compatriot Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, who ranked 18th in the overall classification. With this award, Rodri joins a select list of Spanish footballers who have left their mark on the Ballon d'Or, while Martínez and “Dibu” reinforce the good moment that Argentine football is experiencing, both at the national team level and in European clubs.
