This Monday the 68th edition of the Ballon d’Or was held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and, to everyone’s surprise, the holder of Brazil and Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr, was not chosen as the best player in men’s football of the previous season. This despite helping Los Blancos win LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League for a record 15th time earlier this year.

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Instead, the
The coveted award went to Manchester City midfielder Rodri.who not only helped Pep Guardiola’s team win the Premier League for the eighth time overall and fourth time in a row, but was also part of the Spanish team that won the European Championship in early July.

Vini finished second on the list and was followed by teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, while Rodri’s City teammate Erling Haaland, who is currently the Premier League’s top scorer, finished in fifth place.

Vini’s snub was met with outrage from reigning European champions Real Madrid, who boycotted the event in Paris on Tuesday in protest. Vini’s Madrid teammate, Eduardo Camavinga, described his snub as “football politics.”

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“My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. I love you my brother,” Camavinga wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday that included a photo of him with Vini.

Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a total of eight times, the most by a player in the history of the award, and finished second five times.

Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who represented top clubs such as Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus and shared a fierce rivalry with Lionel Messi, is second on the list with five wins and six second-place finishes.

By the way, this year’s Ballon d’Or awards were the first since 2003 to not include either Messi or Ronaldo on the list of nominees.

Here is the complete list of Ballon d’Or winners since the award was first presented by the French magazine. football france in 1956 (Year, Player Name, Country, Club):

2024 – Rodri (Spain/Manchester City)

2023 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Inter Miami)

2022 – Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)

2021 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)

2020 – Not awarded

2019 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

2018 – Luka Modric (Real Madrid of Croatia)

2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)

2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)

2015 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)

2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)

2012 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

2011 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

2010 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

2009 – Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United)

2007 – Kaká (Brazil/Milan)

2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy/Real Madrid)

2005 – Ronaldinho (Brazil/Barcelona)

2004 – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine/Milan)

2003 – Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic/Juventus)

2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil/Real Madrid)

2001 – Michael Owen (England/Liverpool)

2000 – Luis Figo (Portugal/Real Madrid)

1999 – Rivaldo (Brazil/Barcelona)

1998 – Zinedine Zidane (France/Juventus)

1997 – Ronaldo (Brazil/International)

1996 – Matthias Sammer (Germany/Borussia Dortmund)

1995 – George Weah (Liberia/Milan)

1994 – Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria/Barcelona)

1993 – Roberto Baggio (Italy/Juventus)

1992 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands/Milan)

1991 – Jean-Pierre Papin (France/Marseille)

1990 – Lothar Matthaus (Germany/International)

1989 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands/Milan)

1988 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands/Milan)

1987 – Ruud Gullit (Netherlands/Milan)

1986 – Igor Belanov (Soviet Union/Dynamo Kyiv)

1985 – Michel Platini (France/Juventus)

1984 – Michel Platini (France/Juventus)

1983 – Michel Platini (France/Juventus)

1982: Paolo Rossi (Italy/Juventus)

1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany/Bayern Munich)

1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany/Bayern Munich)

1979 – Kevin Keegan (England/Hamburg)

1978 – Kevin Keegan (England/Hamburg)

1977: Allan Simonsen (Denmark/Borussia Mönchengladbach)

1976: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany/Bayern Munich)

1975: Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union/Dynamo Kyiv)

1974 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands/Barcelona)

1973 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands/Barcelona)

1972: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany/Bayern Munich)

1971 – Johan Cruyff (Holland/Ajax)

1970: Gerd Müller (West Germany/Bayern Munich)

1969 – Gianni Rivera (Italy/Milan)

1968: George Best (Northern Ireland/Manchester United)

1967 – Florian Albert (Hungary/Ferencvárosi TC)

1966: Bobby Charlton (England/Manchester United)

1965 – Eusebio (Portugal/Benfica)

1964 – Denis Law (Scotland/Manchester United)

1963: Lev Yashin (Soviet Union/Dynamo Moscow)

1962 – Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia/Dukla Prague)

1961: Omar Sívori (Italy/Juventus)

1960 – Luis Suárez (Spain/Barcelona)

1959 – Alfredo Di Stéfano (Argentina and Spain/Real Madrid)

1958: Raymond Kopa (France/Real Madrid)

1957 – Alfredo Di Stéfano (Argentina and Spain/Real Madrid)

1956: Stanley Matthews (England/Blackpool)