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Manchester City ace Rodri led the way in the 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings, becoming the first player from England's top-flight to win the award since 2008. The full rankings for the 30 players nominated for the award this year has now been released as follows:
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Two players were ranked in 29th place after their respective seasons with their clubs, and they were Mats Hummels and striker Artem Dovbyk, now teammates at AS Roma. One place above them in 28th was Bayer Leverkusen left-back Alejandro Grimaldo, and Vitinha finished in 27th place after impressing with PSG. Arsenal star Declan Rice finished in 26th place while Chelsea's Cole Palmer was 25th after a stellar year for club and country.
Arsenal and France defender William Saliba was ranked 24th, just below Manchester City ace Ruben Dias in 23rd and Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger in 22nd. Bukayo Saka was 21st while Hakan Calhanoglu finished in 20th place, and Martin Odegaard was ranked as the 19th best player.
Back-to-back Yashin Trophy winner Emiliano Martinez was ranked in 18th place for the Ballon d'Or, while Federico Valverde was 17th and Granit Xhaka, 16th. Nico Williams was rewarded for his fine season for club and country with 15th place, while Atalanta's Ademola Lookman was 14th.
Barcelona star Dani Olmo was ranked in 13th place, and Florian Wirtz finished in 12th place in the ranking, while Phil Foden was 11th. Harry Kane began the top 10, finishing in 10th place while also picking up the Gerd Muller trophy. Retired star Toni Kroos was ninth, while 17-year-old Lamine Yamal was an impressive eighth after also winning the Kopa Trophy.
In seventh place was Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez, with Kylian Mbappe finishing in sixth place, while also winning the Gerd Muller trophy. Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland was fifth, with Dani Carvajal placing fourth after shining for Real Madrid and Spain.
Jude Bellingham enjoyed a great level of success in his debut season at Real Madrid and finished third in the Ballon d'Or ranking, behind teammate Vinicius Jr. Vinicius was ranked second after an impressive season, but conceded top spot to Manchester City star Rodri, who won the award.
Rodri emulates Cristiano Ronaldo with Ballon d'Or triumph
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has emulated Cristiano Ronaldo with his win at the 2024 Ballon d'Or gala. The Spaniard was handed the award after emerging as the winner based on a number of criteria, chiefly performance on the pitch.
Rodri was instrumental as Manchester City won an unprecedented fourth straight league title in the 2023-24 season. The midfielder also won the Player of the Tournament award as Spain won Euro 2024 earlier this summer.
Formerly of Atletico Madrid, the 28-year-old became the first player from the Premier League to receive the award since Ronaldo did as a Manchester United player 16 years ago. He is also the first midfielder to win the award since Luka Modric in 2018.
