In a surprise outcome for fans worldwide, Manchester City’s midfielder Rodri took home the Ballon d’Or trophy at the Paris ceremony last week.
Real Madrid’s winger Vinicius Junior, who was widely regarded as the frontrunner, ultimately finished in second place behind the Spaniard. ..Continue Reading
The exact point totals for each player have now been made public, highlighting the narrow margin that separated Vinicius from winning the title.
According to French publication L’Equipe, the official votes showed Rodri with 1,170 points, narrowly edging out Vinicius Jr, who scored 1,129 points—a difference of just 41 points.
France Football, the organizing magazine of the Ballon d’Or, plans to release a detailed print version of the voting breakdown on Saturday. The report explains that each of the 99 judges who voted in the men’s category submitted their top 10 choices.
The player ranked first by each judge earned 15 points, with subsequent places awarded 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point for 10th place.
With a total of 6,633 points distributed, the slim 41-point gap between Rodri and Vinicius stands out as especially close.
Interestingly, the report also indicates that five judges did not include Rodri in their top 10, while Vinicius was left out by only three judges.
Jude Bellingham, who finished third, was ranked first by five judges, while Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal and Toni Kroos topped four and two judges’ lists respectively.
Besides Rodri, Ademola Lookman, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lautaro Martínez were the only players outside Real Madrid to receive the maximum 15 points from at least one judge.
Although Vinicius missed out on the Ballon d’Or, Real Madrid had a successful night in Paris, being named the best men’s football club, while Carlo Ancelotti received the award for best men’s coach.
However, no one from Real Madrid attended the event, as the players and staff collectively protested, feeling that Vinicius had been unjustly overlooked.
