Spanish midfielder Rodri of "Manchester City" has been awarded the prestigious "Golden Ball" as the best footballer in the world on Monday, surpassing Brazilian Vinicius Junior and Englishman Jude Bellingham, both from "Real Madrid". Spanish midfielder "Barcelona" Aitana Bonmatí won the women's award for the second time.
Rodri, the first to receive this award, played a key role in helping his team secure an unprecedented fourth consecutive trophy in the Premier League last season. His team, despite Argentina's victory in the Copa America, missed out on trophies. Over the past 18 months, Rodri has suffered defeat only once - in the unexpected final of the FA Cup last season against "Manchester United".
Earlier, Rodri's team in the Under-21 squad won the Cup trophy as the best young player under 21, helping Spain complete an ideal campaign at Euro 2024, winning all seven games before claiming the trophy. Bonmatí won the "Golden Ball" for the second consecutive year, while her teammate Hermoso received the award of Socrates for fighting for women's rights in football and taking a bold stance against sexism in sports.
Real Madrid decided to boycott the ceremony in anticipation of Vinicius's victory in the men's nomination. No member of the club was present when he was awarded the "Club of the Year" trophy, and their coach Carlo Ancelotti was named the best coach of the year, while at that time "Barcelona" claimed the trophy for the best women's club.
"Today this is not a victory for me, but for Spanish football, for many players who didn't achieve this but deserve it, like Iniesta, Xavi, Iker Casillas, Sergio Busquets, and many others," said Rodri.
"Today friends wrote to me and said that football has won, that we attract attention to many midfielders who work in the background and now become noticeable. I'm just a simple guy with values who learns, tries to do things right, doesn’t follow stereotypes, and here I am able to reach the top, and this thanks to all of you."
