BALLON IN THE BAG

Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football

- JANICE BECKETT-MSIZA

HE WAS hobbling on crutches and needed help getting on to the stage and the sight of the soccer star struggling to collect football's most prestigious prize drove home what a worthy winner he was.

Rodrigo Hernández Cascante could have stayed at home nursing his injury, but he's not the kind of guy to let anything stand in his way. And so he was at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris when he was announced the winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or and cemented his place in the history books forever.

The 28-year-old Spaniard was sublime in the 2023/24 campaign, helping Spain win the UEFA European Football Championship and being instrumental in leading Manchester City to a record fourth successive English Premier League title.

Rodri, as he's known, notched up 74 games and 475 days without experiencing defeat for club or country, with his last Premier League loss occurring in February 2023 against Tottenham Hotspur.

Sadly, all these months of putting his body on the line eventually took their toll on the towering midfielder and he suffered a torn cruciate ligament during City's 2-2 clash against Arsenal in September, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

It was a bitter blow - but the Ballon d'Or will make his layoff just a little bit sweeter.

Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal were among the nominees, but it was Rodri who took the coveted gong home.

It was a momentous occasion. For the past 16 years Cristiano Ronaldo (39) and Lionel Messi (37) have dominated at the Ballon d'Or awards and this was the first time since 2003 that neither player appeared on the list of nominees.

It's time for the new guard and Rodri is front and centre of it all. He became the first Spaniard since Luis Suarez Miramontes in 1960 to win the trophy and he dedicated his win to his country.