There are only a handful of players that have a claim to the 2024 Ballon d'Or like Manchester City's Rodri.
The 28-year-old has cemented himself as arguably the best midfielder in world soccer after consistently delivering on the biggest stages for City and the Spanish national team. Last season, Rodri guided City to its fourth consecutive Premier League title and won the Euros with Spain in Germany, playing a vital part in both trophy lifts.
In the Premier League last season, Rodri made 34 appearances for Pep Guardiola's team and pitched in with 17 goal contributions while shoring up things in front of the backline. While Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland are no doubt important to Guardiola's setup, City has struggled in the past without its defensive anchor in Rodri. In the 2024–25 season, City has already dropped four points in the league after the team lost Rodri for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury with a pair of draws against Arsenal—the match Rodri was injured in—and Newcastle United.
City did rebound against Fulham with a 3–2 win to remain near the summit of the Premier League table. However, it probably would've been more straightforward had Rodri been in the side and avoided the season-ending injury he sustained vs. the Gunners. City will more than likely go on to have a solid season without Rodri but it isn't a shoe-in to lift the title like it has been in recent seasons with Arsenal and Liverpool fancying its chances.
Rodri also pitched in during the 2023–24 UEFA Super Cup final, grabbing an assist as City went on to win in penalty kicks over La Liga side Sevilla.
It's clear to see that Rodri is arguably City's most important player alongside the goalscoring phenom that is Haaland, but then again we've seen City win the league comfortably in the past with goals spread out across the team. Since Rodri's arrival in the summer 2019 transfer window from Atlético Madrid, City have won four of the last five league titles. His importance remains the same on the international level with Spain even though he was forced off through injury in the 2024 Euro final vs. England.
This summer in Germany, Rodri started Spain's first two games in the group stage in which La Roja toppled Croatia, 3–0, and Italy, 1–0. Spain secured a first-place finish in its group with the victory against Italy and Rodri didn't feature in the final group stage clash vs. Albania due to yellow card accumulation.
Rodri started and played the full 90 minutes from the quarterfinals all the way to the semifinals as Spain picked up wins over Georgia, Germany and France to progress to the final against England. Rodri was at the center of everything for Spain, keeping the midfield ticking. Although he was forced off at halftime in the final with a hamstring problem, Spain were the better side statically in the first half before Mikel Oyarzabal scored an 86th-minute strike to secure a 2–1 win for La Roja.
Rodri managed 63 combined competitive appearances for both City and Spain spanning from Aug. 2023 to July 2024—in which he and many other players have voiced their concerns over the increase in matches played. City is a completely different side without him which has been evident ever since its draw vs. Arsenal in September.
His importance to the Guardiola system and the Spain squad is exactly why he should be awarded the Ballon d'Or in late October. For someone who was arguably the most consistent player in world soccer last term, leading his club and country to glory, it would be a fitting tribute to an incredible year.
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Manchester City's Rodri Should Win the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
