I hope Vini wins it. Absolute baller and he's done enough to win it. Who wants to see a bloody defensive midfielder win it? All the talk of not enough skilful superstars that express themselves on the field these days but we let a player like Rodri win over Vini? Nah that ain't right.
Ballon d’Or 2024 — post-Messi era
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He shouldn't sweep the BdO over the CL's best player, and as much as the PL did indeed screw him over for the POTY, he just got compensated with the bigger award as POTT at the Euros, while not even being Spain's best midfielder(that was Fabian Ruiz). It's similar to Modric in 2018 honestly. And like Modric he'd be a deserving winner, but not at all a runaway candidate who should win in a landslide
Vini's good but he wouldn't get in the top 10 of 10 years ago. Whoever wins it it'll be underwhelming compared to the last 15 years winners.
I hope it’s him too. No-one really had a stand out international tournament. The CL is the biggest competition in club football and Vinicius had the biggest game changing moments in that competition for the eventual winners. And he’s also one of the only players left that is still genuinely entertaining to watch. So team Vinny Jr for me.
Balon d'Or 2014
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Lionel Messi
3. Manuel Neuer
4. Arjen Robben
5.Thomas Müller
6. Philipp Lahm
7. Neymar
8. James Rodriguez
9. Toni Kroos
10. Ángel Di María
Don't really see what makes Vinicius clearly worse than Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller, James Rodriguez or Di María to be honest. And even if you just consider numbers, Robben's figures from 2014 are not very different to Vinicius's.
Vinicius is not just good, he is way more than that.
It's crazy that those two individuals are far superior to the rest, even current-generation players.
Hope Vinicius wins it too. I doubt he will - doesn’t seem to be that much of a clamour for it.
I wouldn't mind Rodri but Vini winning will be funnier and interesting considering Mbappe and Bellingham's egos.
This video suggests it’s probably gonna be a two-way battle between Rodri and Vini, Bellingham third
those saying Mbappe must be taking a piss, although the argument "he is the most loved" is a strong one
Joshua Zirkzee
Vinicius was the clear favorite at the end of club season. The players potentially in contention - Mbappé, Bellingham, Foden - needed a massive Euro to overtake him. It didn't happen. Rodri wasn't in the picture back then.
Rodri though he had a good tournament, didn't stand out amongst Spanish players. I didn't see the Man City version of him. He did win POTT, but Ruiz, Olmo, Yamal, Nico Williams would all have been worthy winners as well. They gave it to Rodri partly because he's by far Spain's best player on paper.
Now it's seemingly between Vinicius and Rodri. I don't think it should be. I think Vini's season coupled with his main challengers underperforming at the Euro make him the clear cut favorite.
Let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or criteria.
Team performances:
Draw.
They both won 2 major trophies this season.
Individual performances:
Vinicius.
They were both excellent in their respective leagues. Basically the best or second best players. However, Vini's UCL campaign is far superior to Rodri's Euro. He was Madrid's best player by some distance, scoring or assisting in every round, including in the final. And it goes beyond the stats. He was Madrid's main threat, and their only threat at times. The tactics were basically: let's give the ball to Vini and hope he creates something. In the last three games, it really was the Vinicius Jr. show. He was the unanimous POTT.
Rodri, as said before, was more like an important piece of a well-oiled machine. The star was the team. There was no drop in team performance when he was subbed off at half-time in the final, which is not a knock on him but rather a testament of the collective strenght of Spain.
Rodri is also facing a structural disadvantage: he can't match the stats or the entertainment value produced by attacking players. This has historically, and rightfully, been a very important factor in voter's minds.
Class and fair-play:
Rodri.
A huge minus for Vini if it's razor-close. A criterion of little importance though I guess. It won't help you win, but can disqualify you if you cross the line (cf. Zidane in 2000).
Someone has mentionned the Ronaldo-Modric situation in 2018. There are some similarities but also major differences. Modric had won the UCL that season, which is more valued than a league title. He also had a more impactful individual international tournament (WC, more prestigious than Euro) than Rodri. I don't think they could have given the Golden Ball to anyone else for example.
Ronaldo, unlike Vinicius, was very poor in the UCL final and SF. He didn't win the league. He was also a less exciting and complete player than Vinicius is right now. He was incapable of having a game like Vinicius had against Bayern in the second leg, despite not scoring. He couldn't do what Vini did to Kimmich. That version of him was long gone, he now needed to score to look good.
If it was Rodri vs Ronaldo 2018, Rodri would have my vote.
The Ballon d'Or 2024 could look like this:
1-Vinicius
2-Rodri
3-Bellingham
4-Carvajal
5-Lautaro
Then in no particular order: Mbappé, Yamal, Nico Williams, Foden, Kroos, Kane.
Rodri though he had a good tournament, didn't stand out amongst Spanish players. I didn't see the Man City version of him. He did win POTT, but Ruiz, Olmo, Yamal, Nico Williams would all have been worthy winners as well. They gave it to Rodri partly because he's by far Spain's best player on paper.
Now it's seemingly between Vinicius and Rodri. I don't think it should be. I think Vini's season coupled with his main challengers underperforming at the Euro make him the clear cut favorite.
Let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or criteria.
Team performances:
Draw.
They both won 2 major trophies this season.
Individual performances:
Vinicius.
They were both excellent in their respective leagues. Basically the best or second best players. However, Vini's UCL campaign is far superior to Rodri's Euro. He was Madrid's best player by some distance, scoring or assisting in every round, including in the final. And it goes beyond the stats. He was Madrid's main threat, and their only threat at times. The tactics were basically: let's give the ball to Vini and hope he creates something. In the last three games, it really was the Vinicius Jr. show. He was the unanimous POTT.
Rodri, as said before, was more like an important piece of a well-oiled machine. The star was the team. There was no drop in team performance when he was subbed off at half-time in the final, which is not a knock on him but rather a testament of the collective strenght of Spain.
Rodri is also facing a structural disadvantage: he can't match the stats or the entertainment value produced by attacking players. This has historically, and rightfully, been a very important factor in voter's minds.
Class and fair-play:
Rodri.
A huge minus for Vini if it's razor-close. A criterion of little importance though I guess. It won't help you win, but can disqualify you if you cross the line (cf. Zidane in 2000).
Someone has mentionned the Ronaldo-Modric situation in 2018. There are some similarities but also major differences. Modric had won the UCL that season, which is more valued than a league title. He also had a more impactful individual international tournament (WC, more prestigious than Euro) than Rodri. I don't think they could have given the Golden Ball to anyone else for example.
Ronaldo, unlike Vinicius, was very poor in the UCL final and SF. He didn't win the league. He was also a less exciting and complete player than Vinicius is right now. He was incapable of having a game like Vinicius had against Bayern in the second leg, despite not scoring. He couldn't do what Vini did to Kimmich. That version of him was long gone, he now needed to score to look good.
If it was Rodri vs Ronaldo 2018, Rodri would have my vote.
The Ballon d'Or 2024 could look like this:
1-Vinicius
2-Rodri
3-Bellingham
4-Carvajal
5-Lautaro
Then in no particular order: Mbappé, Yamal, Nico Williams, Foden, Kroos, Kane.
This undersells Rodri's importance to City. He's not just an important piece of a machine, he is the engine without which the machine doesn't work. Look at City's record without Rodri compared to with Rodri. Replace Rodri with any other player in the world and Arsenal wins the last two PL. Granted, he's not flashy and doesn't have those highlight moments like a forward but his all around play is on another level. Without him, I don't see Spain winning the Euros even if some think Ruiz was more important. Without Rodri Ruiz doesn't excel to the level he did.
I think Euro is more prestigious than UCL.
England won 0 Euro, Real Madrid won, I don't remember how many
England won 0 Euro, Real Madrid won, I don't remember how many
Euros aren’t all that prestigious. They are about a tenth of the relevance of the WC. They just occur less frequently.
I was talking about Spain at the Euro specifically when I called Rodri a piece of a well-oiled machine. No question that he's the beating heart of City and that the team isn't the same without him. He's been their best player over the past two seasons.
I'm not sure Spain couldn't have won without him however. They had a good squad and were far ahead of any other team collectively. That's why they handled the injuries and suspensions of key players so well. Rodri's absence would be more problematic in a longer-format competition.
Carvajal should win it. He's had a great season individually and won La Liga, Champions League and Euro. Rodri would be my second pick. Other than that I don't think is deserved enough.
This is an individual award, not an award on who won most team trophies.
Carvajal is not even a top-3 player for Real or Spain NT, and not even the best player in his position in the world. I'd expect Rodri to win this.
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Carvajal 
This just goes to show how this era is a low point in the history of the game. Never has there ever been a lack of truly elite level footballers. Back in the 80s all the way to mid 2010s there were at least 20 players who were truly world class who could win this award with a further 2-3 absolute superstars from R9 to Zidane to Messi to CR7. The list below these guys like Ronaldinho, Figo, Henry etc was full too. I mean Juve once had a midfield of Davids, Nedved and Zidane going against ours of Giggs, Beckham Scholes and Keane. Now Bellingham and Vinicius are the best we have to offer? Carvajal?
Lautaro Martínez winning would probably be worse than Carvajal. One of the most overrated players in the world. A good player but never Ballon d'Or level, and the fees I see when reading transfer rumours about him He's worth nowhere near 100m, it's probably closer to 50 than 100
He's worth nowhere near 100m, it's probably closer to 50 than 100I don’t think Vini had a great CL final, despite the goal but it was a weird one. Rodrygo and Valverde were arguably as good or better against City in the quarter-finals. He was brilliant in the semi-finals though, which would be the games that would win him the award.
Who is?
In 1998 Karembeu started for France and Real Madrid in the World Cup and Champions League finals and scored a crucial goal in the Champions League semi-final. By today's logic he'd be a contender for the Ballon d'Or. He didn't receive a single vote in 1998. Because he wasn't one of the best players in the world.
Not a great one, just a good one. He was Madrid's only offensive threat in that game. He completed 8 or 9 dribbles I believe, which is a serious number. I remember that filthy double-contact nutmeg near the touchline in the second half. When you add his goal, he had a solid final. The best player with Carvajal.
Against City, a couple of his teammates were as good as him indeed; the ones you mentionned and let's not forget Rudiger. He was crucial in the qualification again though, as he was directly involved in 3 of the 4 goals.
It will be a close contest this year. Vinicius should get it based on criteria but recency bias could make voters lean towards Rodri.
Its evident that next season Ballon d’Or winner will likely be either Vini Junior or Rodri. In my opinion, Rodri is the frontrunner and deserves to win it based on his exceptional performances for City and Spain. As for Bellingham, I believe he has little to no chance of winning the award.
Ridiculous. What's with this Rodri hype? is this a City forum now? He wasn't even Spain's best midfielder, never mind the tournaments. Fabian Ruiz outplayed him on every metric except backwards/sideways passes. If Rodri is in contention so should Kroos be.
If you desperately want Rodri to win it, it should have been in 2023. There he was the most determinant City player in a season when they won the treble and was fantastic allround.
I'm neither desperate nor do I care if Rodri wins the Ballon d'Or. It's just my opinion and yes, he is in contention. Who do you think would or should win it?
Agreed entirely. He's absolutely in and around it...oddly defensive post from @RoyH1 when Rodri has clearly been one of the best in the world this year.
Yes, but not the best. Certainly not on a Ballon d'Or level. He wasn't even Spain's best player in the tournament for crying out loud. Why are United fans backing a City player to win this? I don't get it.
Agreed to disagree I think. You do seem to have gotten a bit worked up about it though! Rodri is one of the best in the world ATM - simple - doesn't stop him playing for a cheating, scummy club. I can't stand Barca but it doesn't stop me thinking Yamal is an unreal player.
Olmo also scored 3 goals and made the goal line saving clearance at the end of the final. Rodri hype needs to die. Just PL and City bias.
Vini was a stand out overall in the biggest competitions. I think if he goes on a good run between Aug to Oct he will get it to remind people his form.
Whoever wins it it will be underwhelming
So you're saying he's not one of the best in the world? It's like everything is either black or white here sometimes. I didn't say he's nailed on for it - Vini certainly has as good a shout, if not better - but I said to have him in the conversation isn't wild. Which it isn't.
Nah I just don't want Rodri to win it. He can have 2nd or 3rd spot which is great for a defensive midfielder.
Fair enough, we all have personal preferences. I just think that positions like that get severely undervalued because they don't often do the pretty dribbling stuff.
Yes! You had your eyes open and are not just letting the City PR blind you. Olmo, Ruiz, Nico, Yamal, Carvajal...lot's of Spanish players performed at the same level as Rodri and his Euro's performance doesn't merit him winning over Vinicius who was the most important man in Real Madrid's double.
In Rodri's case it would be more related to his last 4 or 5 years (including his great last season and very good last Euro), this scenario appears because the other offensive candidates weren't in such a level (nor made a last major impression in Copa or Euro) that automatically puts them clearly on the top. Won't be the first time that sthg like this happens, don't think either it would happen.
Olmo didn't even start until Pedri got injured and wouldn't have been in the starting team whereas Rodri was dictating the play from the first game. Was it PL bias that he got named player of the tournament?
August to October doesn't matter for the Ballon d'Or because the vote is based on football ending in July these days.
My Liverpool supporting mate told me it’s going to Szoboszlai or Endo