Spanish footballer wins Ballon d'Or for the first time in 64 years
Today, a special ceremony took place in Paris, with the highlight being the announcement of the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner.
Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri was named the best player of last season by French publication *France Football*.
This Ballon d'Or is the first ever won by a Manchester City player.
Notably, Rodri is the first Spaniard in 64 years to claim the title. The last Spanish player to lift the Ballon d'Or trophy was Barcelona midfielder Luis Suárez in 1960.
This is only the fourth Ballon d'Or for Spain. In addition to Rodri and Luis Suárez, Alfredo Di Stéfano won the award twice.
It’s also notable that no Premier League player has won the Ballon d'Or since 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the prestigious prize while at Manchester United. Since then, only once has the award gone to a player outside Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Earlier, we reported that the 2024 women’s Ballon d'Or was also awarded to a Spaniard, as Aitana Bonmatí claimed the title for the second consecutive year.
Ileana Sanchez
Dailysports's expert
