The Ballon d'Or. Love it or loathe it, it's the award every footballer in the world dreams of one day winning. And now, after a memorable 2023-24 campaign, the winner of the 2024 Golden Ball has been announced: Rodri.
The Manchester City and Spain midfielder has emerged as the finest No.6 in world football over the past couple of seasons, and he was key to City winning a record-breaking, fourth-successive Premier League title before he then won Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024 as La Roja triumphed in Germany.
As well as his ability to shield the defence and maintain possession in the middle of the park, Rodri has taken his game to a new level by providing more in attack. He returned 12 goals and 15 assists for club and country over the course of the season, while he only finished on the losing side once inside 90 minutes, that coming when City were beaten in the FA Cup final.
The 28-year-old faced tough competition for his first Ballon d'Or as he beat off competition from Real Madrid duo Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, who finished second and third, respectively, after playing key roles in Los Blancos winning both La Liga and the Champions League.
That trio were up at the very top of the rankings for 2024, but how did the rest of the 30-man shortlist shake out when all the votes were counted? Check out the official rankings below: