Roosevelt’s soccer fanatics anxiously awaited October 28th the date where the winner of soccer’s highest individual award the Ballon d’Or award would be announced in Paris, France. The award is meant to decide the best player from a calendar year. It was clear to not only the world wide soccer community but also Roosevelt’s that this year’s winner would come down to two players, Real Madrid and Brazil’s Vinicius Jr and Manchester City’s and Spain’s Rodri. In the end, the Spaniard Rodri was able to edge out Vinicius jr on votes but not without controversy
It’s important to note that this Ballon d’Or race was not just a story of trophies and goals this season, but also a clash in playstyles. Rodri’s calm and collected defensive style as a midfielder led his teams of Manchester City and Spain to both a Premier League and Euro title. Comparatively, Vincius Jr’s flashy and speedy goal-scoring ability as a winger claimed him both La Liga and the Champions League with his club Real Madrid. One thing that makes Rodri’s win so historical is that he’s the first defensive player since 2006 to win the award. Junior Samuel Kerr explained what he felt was a bias towards attacking players, “I feel that people tend to be biased toward attacking players given their flashiness and since they’re the ones actually scoring goals.” Many pointed to the fact that the Ballon d’Or is supposed to judge the best player in the world period, not the best goal scorer. “ I feel Rodri has perfected his position as a defensive midfielder and is always the most important player on his team.” Kerr 11th grade
Rodri’s win has caused major debates not just with the online school community but also with the Eleanor Roosevelt student body. “I feel like it was a complete robbery that Rodri won the Ballon d’Or” Samar Khan 11th grade. Khan emphasized “ Vini (Vinicius jr) clearly had the better year and was more impactful in his club (Real Madrid) as they won the double ( ucl and la Liga). Others felt less strongly about the decision, “In my opinion, it’s well deserved since he was arguably the best player in both his club and country” Samuel Kerr 11th grade. Kerr noted the importance of Rodri’s impact on both Spain and Manchester City, “since the Ballon d’Or is based on individual success, sportsmanship, country and club success, I feel Rodri edges Vini on all three of those aspects.” Noting that Rodri’s national team of Spain had captured the title of Champions of Europe Vinicius was unable to do the same in South America with Brazil.
The overall feeling towards the outcome of the award seems to be that it was well deserved on Rodri’s part, “I believe Rodri deserved it. Rodri performed on the biggest stage and won the award for the best player at the euros,” commented Eric Nwuha. There were also claims that other players had just as much of a claim to the award as Rodri and Vinicius. The two most notable are Vinicius’s Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Carvajal. Kerr, when asked about any other possible winners explained “Bellingham and Carvajal have just as much claim to the award as Vini and Rodri.” However many felt that they did not have the same impact as Vincius and Rodri.
