The identity of the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or surprised everyone last night. Rodri, the Spanish midfielder for Manchester City, won the most prestigious award of the evening at the Théâtre du Châtelet on October 28. Lionel Messi’s successor has given rise to a good number of debates. Indeed, just a few days before the ceremony, no one thought of Rodri as the official winner of the evening. A discreet player withdrawn from social networks, but still elected best player of Euro 2024, Rodri makes an indelible mark on this 68th edition of the Ballon d’Or by becoming the 3rd Spanish player in history to win the title of best footballer of the year.
But what is the winner of this prestigious individual prize coveted by all football stars worth? In 8th position on the Manchester City salary scale, Rodri shows everyone that salary does not make the player. Aged 28, this more than valuable element to his team earns a little more than €13 million per year which is equivalent to €37,000 per day, placing him behind Erling Haaland (€44 million) who was also named for this Ballon d’Or. De Bruyne (€24.3 million), Stones (€15.19 million) and Foden (€13.67 million) also find themselves better paid than the man with the golden ball. With a market value of 130 million euros according to Transfermarktit is important to remember that Manchester City spent €70 million in the 2019 summer transfer window in order to include him in the ranks of Spanish tactician Pep Guardiola. In just 5 years of playing in the Premier League, Rodri has evolved and become indispensable on English pitches. There is no doubt that this status as the best player in the world should allow him to significantly increase his emoluments, he who is under contract with the Citizens until June 2027.
