The points received by every player in contention for the Ballon d’Or 2024 has been revealed, showing just how close Rodri came to being defeated by Vinicius Junior.
The Spaniard became the first defensive midfielder in history to win the coveted individual prize, overcoming Vinicius when many expected the electrifying Brazil to collect the award after a stellar 12 months with Real Madrid that saw him win the Champions League and La Liga.
Such was the dismay that Vinicius was not going to win the award, Real Madrid opted to boycott the ceremony in protest, failing to send any player or club representative to the awards ceremony held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
Vincius’ Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal came third and fourth, with French publication L’Equipe detailing the votes received by every player.
Rodri topped the charts with 1,170 points, 41 ahead of Vinicius, while Bellingham was a distant third on 917 points. The Englishman, who has endured a more difficult start to the 2024/25 season, was a conisiderable margin ahead of Carvajal and Erling Haaland in fifth.
Kylian Mbappe and Lautaro Martinez both earned over 400 voting points as they finished inside the top seven, just ahead of Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who scooped 393 points after being named the Kopa Trophy winner – an award handed out to the best young player in the world.
England’s Harry Kane picked up 201 points as he came 10th, 44 ahead of teammate Phil Foden, who enjoyed a terrific year with Premier League champions Manchester City.
Germany star Florian Wirtz, who played a starring role to help Bayer Leverkusen go unbeaten en route to an unfathomable Bundesliga title, was the only other player to earn over 100 voting points.
Artem Dovbyk and Mats Hummels, nominated for their impressive 12 month stints in Spain and Germany respectively, didn’t pick up a single voting point.
