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Rodri and Bonmati win Ballon d'Or as Madrid snub Paris gala

paul myers
·2-min read
Spaniards Aitana Bonmati (left) and Rodri were awarded the women's and men's Ballon d'Or during a gala ceremony in central Paris.

Spain effectively annexed the 68th Ballon d'Or awards ceremony on Monday night garnering a clutch of the main prizes as well as providing the controversy in the run-up to the gala at the Theatre de Chatelet in central Paris.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri and the Barcelona playmaker Aitana Bonmati provided the panache with the men's and women's crowns respectively for their performances with their clubs and the Spain national team.

Spanish champions Real Madrid injected the petulance. Executives of the outfit announced during Monday afternoon that their players and coaches would snub the event after learning that their star players Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal had not been anointed for the top men's prize.

Hours after their boycott, George Weah, the former president of Liberia and the 1995 Ballon d'Or winner, presented the men's award to a visibly moved Rodri.

"It's an incredible night for me," said the 28-year-old Spaniard who is out for the season with a knee injury.

Gratitude

"Thank you to everyone who voted for me," he added as he choked back the tears. "And thanks to my family for the values they transmitted to me."

Rodri, hailed by his club coach Pep Guardiola as the best midfielder in the world, paid tribute to the Barcelona maestros Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez who controlled the flow and tempo of games with mesmerising effiency during their storied careers but never claimed the accolade.

"This trophy is my victory," added Rodri. "But it is the victory of so many Spanish players, of Iniesta, of Xavi. It is a victory for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder."

Rodri becomes only the third Spanish man to lift the Ballon d'Or since the inception of the prize in 1956.


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