Agency :
Spanish midfielders Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí won the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards respectively on Monday, October 28, as the world’s best football players, while Real Madrid snubbed the star-studded ceremony in Paris in apparent protest.
The 28-year-old Rodri won the prestigious award for the first time after helping Manchester City to win the Premier League title and being a key player in Spain’s European Championship triumph.
He succeeded eight-time winner Lionel Messi of Argentina and beat Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior into second place, a result which greatly displeased the Spanish club.
Madrid and its players stayed away from the ceremony and then vented their feelings on social media.