Who should win the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or – Rodri or Vinicius Junior?

The athlete has launched a series of sports debates in which two authors break down a specific topic. In this edition, Sam Lee and Guillermo Rai discuss whether Manchester City and Spanish midfielder Rodri or Real Madrid and Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior should win the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or.

The winner of the men's Ballon d'Or will be announced on Monday. There are 30 players on the shortlist but two have emerged as frontrunners for the award, which recognizes the best footballer in the world over the last 12 months.

Vinicius Junior shone for Real Madrid last season, helping them win the Spanish title and the Champions League. The Brazilian has continued this form into the 2024/25 season, with a hat-trick in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

Then there is Rodri, the Manchester City midfielder who was equally central to his club's successes last season, winning the European Super Cup, the Club World Cup and the Premier League for the fourth year in a row. He added more trophies over the summer, winning the European Championships with Spain in July, before his participation in the current season was ended last month due to knee ligament damage.

Two of our authors have each presented their arguments and at the end of this article you will have the opportunity to cast your vote.

The argument for Rodri

By Sam Lee, Manchester City correspondent

There is a good case to be made for Vinicius Jr, having won La Liga and the Champions League – with a goal in the final – but it certainly has to be Rodri, not just for his continued excellence at City, but also for his huge contribution to the Spanish European Championship Also the victory in 2024.

City fans have valued his consistency and influence for years, and when we talk about goals in Champions League finals, Rodri's call for the Ballon d'Or comes a year too late given his role in City's treble from Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup 2022-23.

But the rest of the world would have seen this more easily if they had watched the European Championships, where he was voted Player of the Tournament in Germany.

During Spain's celebrations following their return to Madrid, the midfielder was the center of attention, reflecting his contribution on the pitch as they won their first major trophy since the golden era when the Spaniards dominated the pitch between 2008 and 2012 (although , if we are like that). Rodri also won the Nations League with Spain last year, a week after the Champions League final – where he was also named player of the tournament.

Of course, Lionel Messi won the World Cup with Argentina during the same period and always intended to win the award in 2023. That's fair enough. But this time there can be no argument against Rodri, who was the most important player for two of the most dominant teams in this voting period, which runs from August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024.

Rodri was key to Spain's triumph at Euro 2024 (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Until his injury in September, he had lost just one game in 18 months for club and country, and while there will be a few City players who don't suffer defeat often, the statistic that really underlines Rodri's importance is, the club played four league games without him last season and were beaten in three of them.

Rodri is so influential because he has an impact in every phase of the game, in every area of ​​the pitch.

He was already the best defensive midfielder in the world before last season, fending off opponents' attacks with his unique mix of physicality and game intelligence. But he also added more goals to his game, which meant he could rampage through defense and win games too. No City player was more involved in build-up movements that resulted in a shot last season.

Even City, probably the most versatile and consistent team in the world for at least five years, are struggling without Rodri. There is no real alternative to him in world football, let alone at a club. That's why coach Pep Guardiola has felt the need to bring in at least two players to make up for his absences. As a result, the team often seemed less effective.

Midfielders rarely win this award, but that's certainly because Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated it over the last two decades, not just because they're strikers but also because of their huge influence.

That period likely ended with Messi's World Cup victory almost two years ago. If we want our big prize winners to be the best and most influential players, it has to be Rodri.

The argument for Vinicius Junior

By Guillermo Rai, Real Madrid correspondent

If Vinicius Jr. is the favorite to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or, it's not just because of the titles he helped his team win. The criteria for this award focuses on “individual achievement, determined and impressive character.”

We only need to remember three moments in last season's Champions League to show how Vinicius Jr. stood out: his goal in the round of 16 second leg at the Bernabeu that stopped RB Leipzig from giving Madrid a scare, and his two goals in the first leg of the semi-final away to FC Bayern Munich and his decisive goal in the final against Borussia Dortmund.

Vinicius Jr. scored in the Champions League final win against Dortmund (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Although he didn't start well last season (two injuries forced him to miss more than two months before Christmas), he finished the 2023/24 season as Madrid's top scorer with 24 goals. In terms of numbers, it was the best year of his career, even surpassing his teammate Jude Bellingham (23 goals), who had started the season as the leader.

Vinicius Jr.'s contributions also helped Madrid win La Liga, and despite the pressure he faced in opposition stadiums – not to mention suffering numerous instances of racism – he finished in the final Part of the season became the most entertaining and dangerous player to keep an eye on. His influence means Carlo Ancelotti's system is tightening on Madrid's left side, where Vinicius Jr.'s dribbles cause damage to opposing defenders (graphic below).

If you look at the criteria for the award again, “team achievements and successes” are also important.

Despite being just 24 years old, Vinicius Jr. has won 13 titles in six years with Madrid, including winning the Champions League twice and La Liga three times. Yes, Rodri won the European Championships this summer while Vinicius Jr.'s Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa America, but when the two playing clubs met last season, Madrid prevailed, beating City on penalties after the Champions League victory in the semifinals The league ended 4-4 overall.

The third main criterion that needs to be taken into account is “class and fair play”. In this context, last year Vinicius received the Socrates Trophy from France Football magazine for his work with the Vini JR Institute to contribute to the education of children at risk of social exclusion in his homeland.

There are more arguments for giving him the Ballon d'Or, but these are the ones that voters consider and they clearly show why Vinicius Jr. should win it.

Who will get your vote?

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(Top photos: Getty Images)