Ballon d’Or: One Week Later

One week after the controversial Ballon d’Or ceremony, we look back at some of the key moments from last Monday night.

Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid’s Absence

Last week’s Ballon d’Or ceremony lacked key figures in attendance — namely Vinicius Jr. and the entirety of Real Madrid. After Vinicius was notified that he was not selected as the award winner for this year’s edition, he, alongside Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, and Carlo Ancellotti withdrew from traveling to Paris for the ceremony. Real Madrid ended up winning the Men’s Club of the Year award and Ancelloti picked up the Johan Cruyff trophy naming him the best manager in the world.

Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid’s actions were a boycott to the fact that, after an outstanding season, Vinicius would not win the award. However, their absence reflected negatively on the Brazilian forward and Los Blancos. It is not the first time a player has been snubbed; think Andres Iniesta and Wesley Sneijder in 2010, Frank Ribery in 2013, Antoine Griezmann in 2018, Robert Lewandowski in 2021, and Erling Haaland in 2023. Despite this, all of those players decided to show up and support the eventual winners. The lack of sportsmanship, particularly from Vinicius Jr., has been negatively received by fans; as they were quick to point out that it might be his hot headedness that has kept him from winning the award.

Rodri vs Vinicius Jr.

There are three criteria in order to win the award according to France Football, the organizers of the event: individual performances and character, team performance and achievements, and class/sportsmanship.

When comparing their individual performance, Vinicius Jr got 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games for Real Madrid. He had an outstanding UCL campaign, winning Player of the Season as the key player in Real Madrid’s run to the final. Despite his impressive form, in LaLiga he was not the top goalscorer, assist provider, or even player of the year. To put it into perspective, Liverpool striker Darwin Nuñez had just four G/A less than Vinicius this season, and he was not even nominated. Finally, his form this summer was lackluster, as Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals and ‘Vini’ managed only two goals and no assists in the Copa America.

Rodri, on the other hand, won five trophies this season while scoring 12 goals and 13 assists, as a defensive midfielder. To put it in perspective, in Luka Modric’s Ballon d’Or-winning season, he won three trophies while scoring four goals and 12 assists as an attacking midfielder. Rodri’s impact goes beyond the statistics; as Manchester City won all of the 34 games he played with them, but were unable to win three out of the four games in which he was absent.

As for their team statistics, both players again had two remarkable seasons. Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid took home the Champions League and LaLiga while Rodri managed to win the Premier League and the Euros for Spain during the summer. Although both had exceptional performances at the club level, Vinicius and the Brazilian international team had one of their most disappointing tournaments to date, failing to beat Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the Copa America. Both players are once again separated by a thin margin, however, Vinicius’ lack of presence for his international team tips the scales in Rodri’s favor.

What truly separates Rodri from Vinicius is the last point: class and sportsmanship. It is not hard to imagine that this is what lost Vinicius the award. Despite being one of the world’s greatest players, there is no denying that Vinicius is not the classiest nor most likable player. One of his most infamous instances was in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, when Joshua Kimmich was trying to give Vinicius the ball for a throw-in, as Bayern were trailing Real Madrid. Vinicius kept dropping the ball, and rolling it away, taunting the Bayern Munich midfielder.

At the end of the day, sportsmanship is just as important as talent and hardwork. Vinicius Jr. has to understand that being one of the world’s best players, that naturally puts him in a position where he is a role model for younger players and even children. Furthermore, he is the face of the anti-racist football movement in Spain and his image is linked directly to this movement. He has to understand that his lack of sportsmanship not only affects the way fans see him, but the way people see him as a leader of such an important movement. It raises the question of whether or not he is mature enough to handle such a delicate topic such as racism in football. His image matters and, whether he means it to or not, his actions on the field can prove costly not just for him, but can lead to other negative consequences as well.

Barcelona’s Kopa Tropy Dominance

In the past four years, three of the Kopa Trophy winners have been products from La Masia. First Pedri in 2021, then Gavi in 2022 and now Lamine Yamal in 2024. Barcelona’s academy has always been renowned as one of the best, if not the best, in the world; and it seems that Lamine Yamal’s victory on Monday just further seals this idea.

In Barcelona’s 4-0 victory against Real Madrid on October 25, eight out of the 11 starting players were direct products from La Masia. This season, Barcelona lead La Liga with just an average age of 24.1. After years of subpar performances for the Blaugrana, Flick has finally brought out the full potential of the team, trusting young players and reviving veteran players such as Raphinha and Lewandowski. With stars such as Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Casadó, Balde, Cubarsí and Marc Bernal, it is clear that Barcelona are set for the future.

Aitana Bonmatí — Iniesta’s Regen

Women’s football has been completely dominated the past two years by Aitana Bonmatí. Born in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a city 40 km outside of Barcelona, Bonmatí made her debut in 2016 in a Copa de la Reina quarter final against Real Sociedad, and since has won two Ballon d’Or, a World Cup, two Champions Leagues and three league titles. Bonmatí stepped into the role as Barcelona’s main woman after Alexia Putellas tore her ACL weeks before the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Following her second Ballon d’Or win in two years, there are no signs of slowing down for La Roja’s Aitana Bonmatí.

Aitana Bonmatí has been compared to many footballing idols; players such as Lionel Messi, Xavi, and even Johan Cruyff. However, the clearest comparison is Andres Iniesta. Aitana Bonmatí has mastered the weight of the ball and the speed of the game; two skills that have led to her unstoppable form, not to mention iconic parts of Iniesta’s trademark. Both Bonmatí and Iniesta glide on the field and are always one step ahead of their defenders. The lethal combination of class, intelligence, and innate technical ability marked two eras in Spanish football — Iniesta’s and now Bonmatí’s.

Lev Yashin Trophy

For the second time in two years, the Lev Yashin Trophy went to Aston Villa and Argentina’s Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez. However, fans question if he was the correct recipient for the award. Martinez was the golden glove winner in this year’s Copa America, where he played six matches, conceding only one goal and saving two penalties. Despite his impressive form for his national team, ‘Dibu’ failed to replicate it for the Villains, having just eight clean sheets and conceding 45 goals in 34 Premier League games.

Mike Maignan on the other hand, also won the golden glove in the Euros and had a much more impressive club campaign, recording 11 clean sheets in 29 games. Granted, Serie A is shorter than the Premier League, however, what separates these two goalkeepers is very little. At the international level, both won the golden glove, although Martinez managed to walk away with the Copa America trophy. Although France had an underwhelming Euro campaign, it is clear that they would not have even made it half as far without Maignan in goal. Stepping in for his first international tournament, following Hugo Lloris’ retirement from the national team, fans question if Maignan was seemingly robbed from the Lev Yashin Trophy.