Manchester City midfield maestro Rodry won the 2024 Ballon d'Or on a night marked by his achievement and one notable absence - the boycott of the ceremony by Real Madrid.
The prestigious Paris event marked Rodri's phenomenal year, in which he excelled with Manchester City in the English Premier League and led Spain to victory at Euro 2024. Meanwhile, Real Madrid refrained from taking part in protest at Vinicius Jr not receiving top honours.
Despite taking to the stage on crutches due to a recent knee injury, Rodri accepted his award with grace and humour, expressing his joy at a historic season for club and country.
The 27-year-old is constantly praised for his precise control and leadership, and his decisive impact during Euro 2024 cemented his position as one of the world's elite players.
Aitana Bonmati wins second consecutive Women's Ballon d'Or
Barcelona and Spain's Aitana Bonmati continued her rise by winning her second consecutive Women's Ballon d'Or. After leading Barcelona to a remarkable quadruple triumph and adding the Nations League title with Spain, Bonmati now joins her teammate Alexia Poutelas as one of the only women to win this accolade twice since the award's inception in 2018.
Ancelotti wins Johan Cruyff trophy amid Real Madrid boycott
The Johan Cruyff Award for Best Coach in the men's and women's category was a poignant moment at the ceremony as Hristo Stoichkov took to the stage to honour the legendary Cruyff's legacy.
Stoichkov was due to present the award in the men's category to Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid, but without a representative from the club due to the boycott, the accolade was not accepted. Stoichkov shared heartfelt words for his former coach, recalling Cruyff's role as his mentor and "football father".
"Good evening, it was very important for me that I had such a coach, a friend, a football father, he (Johan Cruyff) meant a lot to me. He took a little boy from Bulgaria, he had the patience to work with me, to develop me, to help me, to guide me," Stoichkov said.
"He worked with incredible players, I played with incredible players, but his role was incredible. At the beginning it was difficult for me to understand his ideas, but then I realised they were brilliant, especially the movement without the ball. It was a very important moment for me and my family, I will always be grateful to him. I became the number 8 man there. His three Ballons d'Or are the least in his incredible career," added the Bulgarian football legend.
Emiliano Martinez and Lamin Yamal were honoured
Aston Villa player Emiliano Martinez was named best goalkeeper, taking the Yashin trophy for the second year in a row.
Lamin Yamal, FC Barcelona's promising young talent, received the Raymond Copa trophy for best young player.
Here is the full list of the 2024 Ballon d'Or winners:
Men's Ballon d'Or.
Women's Ballon d'Or: Aitana Bonmati (Spain/Barcelona FC)
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid)
Johan Cruyff Award (Best Women's Coach): Emma Hayes (England/Chelsea/USA)
Gerd Muller Award (Best Goalkeeper): Kylian Mbappé (France/Paris Saint-Germain, 2023/24) and Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich) - 52 goals
Raymond Copa Award (best young player): Lamine Jamal (Spain/Barcelona FC)
Lev Yashin Award (Best Goalkeeper): Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa)
Socrates Award (Charity): Jenny Hermoso (Spain/Tigres Monterrey)
Best Men's Team: Real Madrid
Best Women's Team: FC Barcelona. | BGNES
