PARIS: Spanish midfielders Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí won the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best soccer player on Monday.
The 28-year-old Rodri won the prestigious award for the first time after helping Manchester City win the Premier League and being a key player in Spain’s European Championship triumph. He succeeded eight-time winner Lionel Messi of Argentina.
Rodri put his hands over his face when his name was read out by former winner George Weah.
“Incredible night for me,” said Rodri, who is out for the season after injuring his ACL last month and arrived on crutches to the ceremony. “One of my key things is I always try to improve every game.”
The 26-year-old Bonmatí retained her award after helping Barcelona win the Spanish league, the Spanish cup and the Champions League. Bonmatí joined Barca teammate Alexia Putellas in winning two titles since the women’s trophy was first awarded in 2018. She beat her teammates Caroline Graham Hansen of Norway and Salma Paralluelo of Spain as Barcelona completed a 1-2-3.
“It’s a pleasure to be here again,” said Bonmatí, who received the award from Oscar winner Natalie Portman. “Thanks to my teammates and the clubs who make me a better football player every year.”
Vinícius Júnior was among the four men’s finalists with his Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal. But no one from Madrid attended the gala in central Paris, even though Carlo Ancelotti won the coach of the year award.
Vinícius had been seen as one of the favorites for the award until making the decision not to travel to Paris for the ceremony. The decision was made by Madrid, according to a person who works with Vinícius and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak about the player’s whereabouts publicly.
Vinícius finished second in the voting, with Bellingham third.
Neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo — winners of the prestigious individual award a combined 13 times — were in the running for this year’s prize — the first time that’s happened since 2003.
While Rodri is not a flamboyant player or a prolific scorer like Messi and Ronaldo, he had a huge influence on City’s team with his ability to protect the defense and distribute passes cleanly from the back.
“I try to be a leader and try to improve every day from the best,” Rodri said.
City looked unbeatable at times with him in the side, while his excellent technical ability enabled him to slot smoothly into the quick-passing style made so effective by Spain at Euro 2024.
Bonmatí scored 19 goals for the second straight season for Barca and this year has netted five in five games for Spain, taking her international tally to 26.
The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for the men, and since 2018 for the women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings.
Each journalist, one per country, selects 10 players in ranked order, with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Unlike FIFA’s awards for the best players each year, fans aren’t part of the voting system.
Yamal’s trophy and other awards
On a good night for Spain and Barca players, teen prodigy Lamine Yamal — the youngest-ever scorer at a European Championship — won the Kopa award for best Under-21 player and Barca won the best women’s team award.
Real Madrid was voted the best men’s team.
Former PSG forward Kylian Mbappé and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane shared the Gerd Mueller award for most club and country goals last season with 52. Mbappé joined Madrid during the offseason.
Argentina’s penalty-saving specialist Emiliano Martínez retained the Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper.
Ancelotti and Olympic-winning coach Emma Hayes won the Johan Cruyff award for best men’s and women’s coach.
Spain forward Jenni Hermoso, who has fought sexism in Spanish soccer after she was kissed on the lips at last year’s Women’s World Cup final by former federation president Luis Rubiales, collected the Socrates award for humanitarian work.
A special award was given by France Football to the wife and son of late Germany great Franz Beckenbauer.
Spaniards Rodri and Bonmatí win Ballon d’Or award for best men’s and women’s players in world soccer
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Spaniards Rodri and Bonmatí win Ballon d’Or award for best men’s and women’s players in world soccer
- While Rodri is not a flamboyant player or a prolific scorer like Messi and Ronaldo, he had a huge influence on City’s team with his ability to protect the defense and distribute passes cleanly from the back
- The 26-year-old Bonmatí retained her award after helping Barcelona win the Spanish league, the Spanish cup and the Champions League
Paddy Pimblett sizes up Justin Gaethje as UFC comes to Paramount
- Pimblett and Gaethje will be fighting for the interim lightweight title belt after champion Ilia Topuria announced a leave of absence from the sport amidst mounting personal issues
LAS VEGAS: Dana White and the UFC begin a new era on Saturday night.
Rising star Paddy Pimblett and former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will headline UFC 324 in what marks the company’s first numbered card since the highly publicized seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount became official on Jan. 1.
Pimblett and Gaethje will be fighting for the interim lightweight title belt after champion Ilia Topuria announced a leave of absence from the sport amidst mounting personal issues. As a result, the winner of Gaethje vs. Pimblett will be directly in line for a shot at Topuria’s undisputed title belt upon his return.
UFC 324 also marks the first time that Pimblett, arguably the UFC’s most viral star over the past two years, will finally get the chance to main event a numbered card. Pimblett, a Liverpool native, became a fan favorite long before he was in the main event picture and even before he was in the UFC, owing to his brash, Conor McGregor-like demeanor and his catchy Scouse accent.
The first time Pimblett appeared on many sports fans’ radars was in September 2021, after he was nearly knocked out by a shot from Luigi Vendramini before quickly knocking out the Italian in the first round. When Michael Bisping was ribbing him about the close call during the in-octagon interview, Pimblett uttered a sentence that has become synonymous with his career.
“I’m a Scouser,” Pimblett said, looking at the camera. “We don’t get knocked out.”
Since that evening at the UFC Apex, Pimblett’s rise both in and out of the Octagon has been meteoric. He still hasn’t lost a fight in the UFC, beating Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt by rear-naked choke submission in back-to- back fights.
His next two fights saw him defeat Jared Gordon and Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision, both in Las Vegas and both accompanied by post-fight interviews that only raised his stock. Pimblett’s most recent fight, a vicious TKO of Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in April, was ultimately what solidified his position on a main card.
“It’s an honor,” Pimblett said. “It shows how much the UFC trusts me. They know me and Justin will put on a good fight. And it’s a world title fight. I’ve been saying it for 16 years now for this to happen, and it’s finally here.”
Gaethje, on the other hand, sees Pimblett as the final obstacle in the way of what could very well be the last title shot of his career. At 37 years old, that also means he knows the reality of what will happen to his stock if he falters on Saturday night. However, most people probably would have assumed Gaetjhe’s title prospects ended the moment he lost an all-time war to Max Holloway in spectacular fashion at UFC 300.
A lights-out performance against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 proved Gaethje still had plenty of gas left in his tank, but he still hadn’t done enough since his loss to Holloway to be deemed worthy of a title shot. A win Saturday makes that title shot all but official.
And while a win would make Gaethje a two-time UFC interim champion, fans know good and well what Gaethje thinks of those. Or at least what he thought.
When he won it the first time, he threw his belt on the canvas, but this time around he realizes the importance of what he’s about to embark on.
“I definitely won’t be (tossing the belt),” Gaethje said. “As I got older, I’m wiser, and I understand that an interim belt is the same exact thing as an undisputed belt on paper for my pay. And it certainly gives me the biggest fight possible next, so this is huge. Huge for my legacy.”
The co-main event will feature Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong in a bantamweight bout that will likely see the winner go on to face champion Petr Yan later in the year. Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes were also slated for a highly anticipated matchup on the card, but Harrison pulled out last week due to injury.
