The Ballon D’or is the most prestigious award in soccer. Every year it is given by French Magazine to the player who has been deemed to have had the best performance over the last year. It takes into account all matches the player has played, including club and international. This year on October 28th the award ceremony was supposed to be very simple: Everyone knew who was going to win. Or so they thought.
Multiple finalists played for the club Real Madrid, but none of them showed at the event. Sure enough, when the time came to announce the winner, Rodri, a star midfielder from Manchester City and the Spanish national team won the award. Not only did Real Madrid fans feel robbed, but so did fans from other bases. So, why were people angry that Rodri won? And, who should have won instead?
“I believe that Vinicius Jr. was deserving… However, I understand the reason why FIFA gave the ballon d’or to Rodri: Vini played amazing this whole season with Real Madrid, but the problem was how Vini played in the Copa America with Brazil. Rodri on the other hand, was incredible in the Premier League, Euros, and Champions League,” said seventh grader, Eitan Savion. Savion continues to explain that Rodri’s performance was consistent throughout the whole season: “Rodri went 0/34 on loss in the Premier League he played in. He was incredible in the midfield, also winning the Premier League, and Euros, compared to Vini’s Champions League, and Laliga.” Based on these observations, it makes sense that Rodri won, and seventh grade student Henry Shwirtz agrees:
“Manchester City have been much worse without Rodri. They were lucky to win the league without Rodri, because if you take their best player to keep possession and to sway each game into Man city’s favor this makes it really hard to win,” Shwirtz said, and explained why Vini, the favorite, was not deserving of this prestigious award: “If you argue that Vini should win because of his amount of goals then this trophy should have been given to Lautaro Martínez… who scored more goals than Vini.” However, the JLA community disagrees on whether or not Rodri was deserving.
“Vinícius Júnior, or Vini for short, should have won the Ballon d’Or because of his amazing performances last season. He played a huge part in helping Real Madrid succeed, especially in the UEFA Champions League, where he scored important goals and set up many chances for his teammates,” eighth grade student Jacob Benzaquen said. “With his awesome dribbling, super-fast speed, and smart plays, Vini has become one of the most exciting forwards in Europe. His ability to be consistent and perform well in big games shows exactly why he deserves to be recognized as a top player.” Benzaquen added that “while Rodri had a solid season with Manchester City, deserving recognition for his crucial role in their success… Vini’s impact on matches was more shown, as he scored 26 goals and provided 12 assists, showcasing his ability to change games and drive his team forward. In contrast, Rodri, while impressive with his awareness of the field and defensive contributions, scored only 12 goals and provided 15 assists, focusing more on supporting play rather than finishing.”
While we cannot change the outcome of this year’s Ballon d’Or recipient, Benzaquen has pointed out some patterns in past winners. “The Ballon d’Or has historically favored attacking players who can score more, making it challenging for defensive midfielders like Rodri to make it to the top.”
The soccer community is divided by this decision, but it is important to note that within JLA, those who said that Vini should have won are all Real Madrid fans, potentially leading to biases. From those interviewed, only Coach Martinez had a different take, saying that Pulisich should have been the most deserving player. Meanwhile, tenth grader Andre Alperowitch believed that Jude Bellingham should have taken home the trophy.
