Source: REUTERS/Susana Vera
[Saba Sports News] With the official announcement of voting details, the 2024 Ballon d’Or has been settled, with Rodri narrowly defeating Vinicius Junior. Previously, many media outlets had predicted that Vinicius would win, making Rodri’s award a last-minute “stunner.” It is reported that a month ago, public opinion was unanimously optimistic about Vinicius winning the Ballon d’Or, and Transfermrkt took action accordingly. On October 11, Transfermrkt announced that Vinicius’s market value was raised from 180 million euros to 200 million euros, tying him with Erling Haaland as the highest in the world. Tobias Brasio, the administrator for Transfermrkt’s Spanish section, explained that Vinicius has maintained a high level this season and is a leader and differentiating factor for the team alongside Federico Valverde, unlike his star teammates Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, who are not in good form. The Brazilian star is expected to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or at the end of October; the increase in his value should be a reward for his performance last season and a crowning achievement on his path to the top of the world.