With Rodri now crowned the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, we examine the stats of Manchester City’s midfield dynamo to see if the decision holds merit.
While some may find Rodri’s victory surprising, it’s not due to doubts about his ability. Instead, it’s because central midfielders are rarely contenders for an award that has historically favored forwards and attacking players.
Jorginho placed third in 2021 while at Chelsea, but central midfielders seldom make the Ballon d’Or shortlist, much less take home the prize. Icons like Andrés Iniesta and Xavi reached the top three multiple times between 2009 and 2012, yet the last midfielder to win was Kaka in 2007, though he was more of an attacking presence. Pavel Nedved claimed the honor in 2003, preceded by Rivaldo in 1999 and Zinedine Zidane in 1998.
Rodri’s triumph comes after a stellar season, clinching another Premier League title with City and playing a pivotal role in Spain’s Euro 2024 win. This honor makes him the first Manchester City player and the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, to win the Ballon d’Or.
He also becomes the third Spaniard to capture this award, following Alfredo Di Stéfano (1957 and 1959) and Luis Suárez (1960), and the first Spanish winner in 64 years.
Many had pegged Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior as the favorite after his own extraordinary season, including scoring in Madrid’s 2-0 UEFA Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund. Even with TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand chanting “Ballon d’Or!” in celebration at Wembley, Vinícius ultimately fell short.
Does the Data Support Rodri’s Selection Over Vinícius? Let’s Dive Into the Numbers to Find Out
Rodri proved indispensable for Manchester City during the 2023-24 season, starting a team-high 50 matches and clocking the most minutes at 4,325. At Euro 2024, he started in six of Spain’s seven games, only missing the latter half of the final against England due to injury.
Of the 50 games Rodri played, City secured 38 wins, drew 11, and lost just once—in the FA Cup final against Manchester United. Without him in nine matches, City managed only five wins and suffered four defeats.
Across his 50 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City, Rodri contributed to 22 goals, scoring 9 and assisting 13. This season marked a personal best, as he had never previously tallied more than seven goals or seven assists in a single campaign.
Rodri averaged 111.2 passes per 90 minutes with an impressive accuracy of 92.3%, leading all players in Europe’s top five leagues for passes per 90 across all competitions. His average exceeded the next closest player, Bayer Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka, by 8.8 passes, with Xhaka averaging 102.4.
In the 2023-24 Premier League season, Rodri also set a new record for successful passes (3,359) and for successful passes in the opposition half (2,122) since data tracking began in 2003-04.
Rodri’s goals proved pivotal throughout the season, such as his 88th-minute winner against Sheffield United, a late strike at Chelsea that initially put City ahead 4-3 before Cole Palmer’s equalizer, and another crucial equalizer in the 83rd minute against Chelsea in the reverse fixture. He also scored the final goal in City’s 3-1 win over West Ham, clinching the Premier League title.
Though the Ballon d’Or considers performances between August 2023 and July 2024, Rodri’s importance to Manchester City since joining in 2019-20 is clear. Since then, he has missed only 25 of City’s 199 Premier League games. Across all competitions, only Bernardo Silva (263) has played more than Rodri’s 260 appearances among Premier League players in that time, with no outfielder having started as many as his 238 games.
At the time of his injury against Arsenal in September, Rodri ranked second only to Bruno Fernandes for minutes played by a Premier League outfielder (20,555) since 2019-20, a spot now overtaken by Mohamed Salah (20,725) and Declan Rice (20,628). He’s also earned 50 caps for Spain over this period.
Since Rodri’s Premier League debut in August 2019, City have lost 28% of their 25 games without him, with three of those losses occurring in the first half of last season to Wolves, Arsenal, and Aston Villa. His return stabilized City’s form, leading to a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.
City’s win rate drops over 10 percentage points in games without Rodri, and the team’s dominance diminishes, with their goal difference averaging 1.7 when he plays versus 1.2 when he doesn’t. Likewise, their points-per-game average falls from 2.4 with Rodri to 2.0 in his absence.
Rodri: The Central Force Behind Manchester City’s Dominance
Rodri was pivotal to Manchester City’s record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, orchestrating the midfield with unmatched precision. He was the only player to average over 100 successful passes per game (103) and led the league with 126 touches per 90 minutes—24 more than any other City player. His impact was further underscored by his league-best 8.4 open-play sequence involvements per 90 minutes (for players with 2,000+ minutes).
A hamstring injury from the Euro 2024 final sidelined him for City’s first three league games this season, though he returned as a halftime substitute in their 2-1 win over Brentford. After playing the full 90 minutes in City’s 0-0 Champions League draw with Inter, hopes rose that his injury woes were over. However, a significant setback arrived with an ACL injury in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in September, sidelining him for the rest of the 2024-25 season.
While City’s results remain positive, their performances have felt less assured, with hard-fought wins over Fulham and Wolves and a narrow 1-0 victory over Southampton. Rodri’s calming influence on the pitch is sorely missed, and fans eagerly await his return in the 2025-26 season.
For now, the 28-year-old can take pride in earning football’s most prestigious individual honor, the Ballon d’Or.
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How old is Rodri?
28
