Last month, Manchester City midfielder Rodri was awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or, beating Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., who came in second.
The French sports publication, L’Equipe, recently released a detailed breakdown of the voting, shedding light on how each member of the international jury—a group of specialized writers—cast their ballots. The results were close, with Rodri edging out the Brazilian winger by only 41 points.
The final standings for the 2024 Ballon d’Or saw Rodri secure the top spot with 1,170 points, earning recognition for his consistent and influential performances.
Vinicius Jr., who helped Real Madrid achieve considerable success throughout the season, finished with 1,129 points. The competition was particularly fierce, as evidenced by the narrow margin between the two players.
In third place was Jude Bellingham, a British midfielder also playing for Real Madrid. He earned 917 points, adding to his growing reputation in European football. The top five were rounded out by Dani Carvajal of Real Madrid, who finished with 550 points, and Manchester City’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who amassed 432 points.
France’s Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain followed closely, placing sixth with 420 points, while Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez, representing Inter Milan, finished in seventh place with 402 points.
The top ten also included several other noteworthy players. Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos took eighth place with 291 points, while England’s Harry Kane, now with Bayern Munich, secured ninth place with 201 points. Phil Foden, another English talent from Manchester City, rounded out the top ten with 157 points.
The rankings continued with Germany’s Florian Wirtz, representing Bayer Leverkusen, placing eleventh with 101 points. He was followed by Spain’s Dani Olmo, who plays for RB Leipzig, earning 86 points to secure the thirteenth spot.
Ademola Lookman from Nigeria, who plays for Atalanta Bergamo, received 82 points, while Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao in Spain completed the top fifteen with 73 points.
Despite the significant recognition for Real Madrid players in the top rankings, the club decided not to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony held in Paris.
This absence was reportedly due to their disappointment that Vinicius Jr. did not win the coveted award, leading to one of the most debated Ballon d’Or events in recent years.
Although Real Madrid players received several accolades that evening, the club’s management chose to express their dissatisfaction by not participating, making this year’s ceremony especially controversial.
