The winner of the Golden Ball is Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante, known in the atmosphere of football for Rodri.
The midcenter of Manchester City and the Spanish team, who climbed on crutches, finally lifted the trophy as the best player of the 2023-2024 season awarded by France Football magazine in its 68th edition.
The trophy was given to him by George Weah at this Monday, October 28 ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris, where Didier Drogba and Sandy Heribert once again served as masters of ceremonies.
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It has been a very deserved prize for the best player of the Euro 2024, who together with the Copa America must be the tournaments that weigh the most, in addition to being champion of the Premier League with the City, who was eliminated in quarters of the Champions League by the champion Real Madrid in the penalty slot.
Rodri was the captain-general of the Red, the selection that deployed the best football of the Euro Cup proving to be one of the most complete players in the world, in addition to being a gentleman on and off the ground by far fulfilling all the criteria to vote for this award.
Football is a collective sport, thanks to the City. To the selection, to Luis [De la Fuente], I want to remember Dani Carvajal who has suffered the same injury as me and would deserve to be here, and one who will be here, to Lamine. Today it is not a victory of mine, it is of so many players who have not won it and have deserved it as Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernández, Iker Casillas, and Sergio Busquets, is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midcenter.
On the podium the second place was for Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid/Brazil), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England) occupied the third and the fourth Carvajal (Real Madrid/Spain).
Harry Kane was 10th, Toni Kroos in 9th, Lamine Yamal in 8th, Lautaro Martinez in the 7th, Kylian Mbappe in the 6th, and Erling Haaland in the 5th.
The Women’s Gold Ball was taken by the Spanish Aitana Bonmati, as the best player in the world. These were the three criteria for the Golden Ball vote State of the form shown during the season. Collective titles achieved during the current calendar year. The public image of the player, both on and off the field, is where the footballer’s Fair Play or the person’s philanthropic acts come into play. Real Madrid did not travel when he learned that Vinicius Jr. was not going to be the winner, after having prepared a delegation of 50 people to attend the event, in which he assumed that his player was going to raise the trophy.
With the Madrid sit-in, Bellingham and Carvajal were also discarded, two who aspired to the title and who had done sufficient merit to have won it. A very ugly attitude of the white team, criticized by many, still deepens the crisis after the 4-0 score suffered at home by Barcelona. And certainly a great lesson for Vinicius Jr., who will have to rethink some things to be really the best. Nor is it that it should matter too much a prize given by a magazine where clearly the criteria are subjective and it is all marketing.
Rodri, the first midfielder after Luka Modric, is the successor of Lionel Messi, who was unfairly not in the 30s this time.
The best young player (Trofeo Kopa) was won by Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal, at the age of 17, champion with Spain at the Euro, above the wheel of Madrid Arda Guler.
Is it a pride to receive this award? Thanks to France Football for the recognition, Yamal said.
I wanted to thank my father, my mother, my grandmother. Also the technical body, my colleagues in Barcelona. I am very proud and I thank my colleagues and we go for more.
Kane and Mbappe shared the Gerd Muller Award for Best Foreman.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award as best goalkeeper, Carlo Ancelotti as best coach, and Jennifer Hermoso won the Socrates (humanitarian actions) award.
Beautiful he had great notoriety for the campaign “It Ended” where she was the main protagonist after the controversial kiss on the lips without her consent of the then president of the Spanish Federation, Luis Rubiales, in the celebrations after winning the Spanish team the World Cup in August 2023.
