Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country.

Rodri was handed the award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, organised by the French magazine France Football in collaboration with UEFA.

“A very special day, for me, my family and my country,” Rodri said.

“I understand that because I have no social media, people don’t know me much. I am just a normal guy. I enjoy the sport, I enjoy my profession. And I try to be a good person. I am a very calm person.”

The 28-year-old won his fourth straight Premier League with City in May as Pep Guardiola’s side held off Arsenal’s challenge, winning their last nine games to clinch the title. He is the first player from England’s top tier to be crowned since Cristiano Ronaldo won in 2008 during his first stint with Manchester United.

Rodri’s stiffest competition for the Ballon d’Or came from Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, who refused to travel to Paris for the ceremony after discovering that he would not take home the trophy. Jude Bellingham finished third in the voting.

Vinícius, 24, had been a leading contender to win the 2024 men’s prize after leading Madrid to a LaLiga and Champions League double last season, but sources told ESPN earlier on Monday that neither he nor his fellow Madrid nominees — eight in total across the various awards — would attend the event.

Madrid had been honoured earlier in the ceremony as the men’s team of the year, and Carlo Ancelotti received the coach of the year award, though no representatives of the last Champions League winners were present to accept it.

“I’ll do it 10x if needed. They are not ready,” Vini Jr. posted in Portuguese on X.

Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga made it clear what he thought of the vote, calling it “football politics.”

“FOOTBALL POLITICS X. My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro,” the France international wrote on X along with a photo of him and Vinicius celebrating together.

The awards are based on voting by a panel of journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries.

Rodri was part of the Spain team that won Euro 2024, starting every game except the third group stage match against Albania, and claimed the player of the tournament prize.

He went a world-record 74 games unbeaten for club and country from March 2023 to May 2024, avoiding defeat (other than via penalties) until City’s loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup final.

Rodri becomes the second men’s player born in Spain to win the sport’s most prestigious individual prize, and the first since former Barcelona star Luis Suárez claimed it in 1960.

Real Madrid’s legendary striker Alfredo di Stefano won the award twice, in 1957 and 1959, though he was born in Argentina. The past four Ballons d’Or Féminin have been won by Spanish women (Alexia Putellas in 2021 and 2022 and Aitana Bonmatí in 2023 and 2024).

“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 [Hernandez], Iker [Casillas], Sergio Busquets, so many others. It is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder,” Rodri said on stage at the ceremony.

“Today many friends have written to me and have told me that football has won, for giving visibility to so many midfielders who have a job in the shadows and today it is coming to light.”

Rodri is likely to miss the rest of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sept. 22. He collected the prize on crutches on Monday.

Vinicius Junior stands as a firm favourite for the men’s award while Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati is tipped to win the women’s trophy.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has backed one of his own players to be the next recipient of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award – midfielder Rodri.

Guardiola insists that his compatriot is simply “the best”, and believes that the former Atletico Madrid man can succeed Lionel Messi as the world’s best men’s player.

“Rodri. If I could decide, I would say that,” He told us in an exclusive chat recently. “I understand that there are other players that can win it. I think the other way is being nominated and being there is already nice.”

WHAT OTHER AWARDS ARE UP FOR GRABS TONIGHT?

Yashin Trophy (for the best goalkeeper)
Diogo Costa (Portugal, Porto)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris Saint-Germain)
Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Borussia Dortmund)
Andriy Lunin (Ukraine, Real Madrid)
Mike Maignan (France, Milan)
Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia, Valencia)
Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)
Unai Simón (Spain, Athletic Club)
Yann Sommer (Switzerland, Inter)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns)

Kopa Trophy (for the best player under the age of 21 as of 31 July 2024)
Pau Cubarsí (Spain, Barcelona)
Alejandro Garnacho (Argentina, Manchester United)
Arda Güler (Türkiye, Real Madrid)
Karim Konaté (Ivory Coast, Salzburg)
Kobbie Mainoo (England, Manchester United)
João Neves (Portugal, Benfica / Paris Saint-Germain)
Savinho (Brazil, Girona / Manchester City)
Mathys Tel (France, Bayern München)
Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
Warren Zaïre-Emery (France, Paris Saint-Germain)

Men’s Coach of the Year Trophy (best coach of a men’s club or national team)
Xabi Alonso (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy, Real Madrid)
Luis de la Fuente (Spain, Spain)
Gian Piero Gasperini (Italy, Atalanta)
Pep Guardiola (Spain, Manchester City)
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina, Argentina)
Women’s Coach of the Year Trophy (best coach of a women’s club or national team)
Sonia Bompastor (France, Lyon / Chelsea)
Arthur Elias (Brazil, Corinthians / Brazil)
Jonatan Giráldez (Spain, Barcelona / Washington Spirit)
Emma Hayes (England, Chelsea / USA)
Filipa Patão (Portugal, Benfica)
Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands, England)
Men’s Club of the Year Trophy
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Girona (Spain)
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Manchester City (England)
Real Madrid (Spain)

Glodis Viggosdottir (Bayern Munich and Iceland)
Mariona Caldentey (Barca/Arsenal and Spain)
Lauren James (Chelsea and England)
Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona and Spain)
Lea Schuller (Bayern Munich and Germany)
Gabi Portilho (Corinthians and Brazil)
Tabitha Chawinga (Paris Saint-Germain/Lyon and Malawi)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona and Norway)
Lindsey Horan (Lyon and USA)
Lucy Bronze (Barcelona/Chelsea and England)
Sjoeke Nusken (Chelsea and Germany).

The Champions League is football’s premier club competition and winning it is often the highlight of a player’s career.

Only a small percentage of players get to experience that privilege even once, but some are fortunate enough to taste European Cup glory on multiple occasions.

Usually, such a run is part of a special streak at one particular club. But not always.

Here, a look at some of the players in men’s football who have won the Champions League with more than one club…

Gerard Piqué

Gerard Piqué won the Champions League three times as a Barcelona player – in 2009, 2011 and 2015 – and two of those victories completed treble triumphs for the Catalan club.

Also a winner with Manchester United in 2008, the centre-back made three appearances and scored two goals in the competition, but was not included in the squad for the final. CONTINUE READING