Rodrygo is one of the world’s top 30 footballers – but Real Madrid star needs to become a consistent match-winner to gain Ballon d’Or recognition

Rodrygo was angry – albeit in a way that famous people express their frustration these days, by posting a cryptic series of messages to his Instagram story. The Brazilian hadn’t been named to the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or, and he subsequently told ESPN that he was “upset” by his omission.

His comments, in truth, have been somewhat been blown out of proportion. Rodrygo wasn’t pedantic, he wasn’t stroppy, and he didn’t call out anyone else who made it over him, even if he might have been justifed in doing so. Rather, he merely acknowledged what is probably true: he is one of the 30 best footballers in the world.

But it is one thing to have the talent, or even statistics, to crack the list of nominees, and another to have the kind of gravitas to make it over others. The kids these days probably call it ‘aura’, but the Brazilian, for all of his brilliance, has never quite done enough to carry the kind of star power that is admittedly befitting of his immense quality as a footballer.

Rodrygo is, in many ways, a victim of his own versatility, a footballer so good at doing a bit of everything in the final third while featuring in the same side as so many other good players means that his outright talent often goes overlooked. So, too, does his lack of a signature moment, and until he does something that proves he is great, that Ballon d’Or acknowledgment he covets might remain elusive.

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  What’s required?

  Part of the problem here comes from the misconception as to what, exactly, a player needs to do to win the most coveted individual prize in the sport. Rules changed after the 2021-22 season, but, broadly, players are nominated – and then voted on – via a series of factors. More than anything, judges are encouraged to consider individual performance over the course of a season. Next comes team success – the two being, in theory, intrinsically related.

  In the past, a player’s overall career was asked to be taken into consideration by those who cast their ballots. That would explain, for example, why Cristiano Ronaldo was among the 30 nominees in the 2021-22 season, despite scoring just 18 Premier League goals for a fairly miserable Manchester United side. That has since been scrapped, though. Now, it is, in theory, all about the previous season.

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    The raw numbers

    For Rodrygo, that makes things reasonably difficult. The eye test would certainly suggest that he is deserving of a spot among the 30, but most judges, quite reasonably, are unable to watch the top 30 week in, week out. Numbers are perhaps unfair, but they are the most accurate measuring stick of performance.

    His attacking output was agreeable without being spellbinding. His return – 10 goals and five assists La Liga, five and two in the Champions League – doesn’t necessarily jump off the page. He finished tied for 16th in goals scored in the Spanish top flight, and stuck on 30th in assists. Six Madrid players had more assists, while three found the net with more regularity. Joselu, 34, lumbering, and formerly of Stoke City, matched his goal total.

    Sure, that is nothing to be scoffed at. But the data suggests that this is a player who is neither prolific nor particularly creative.

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      Best position?

      And then, there is Rodrygo the footballer. The main issue is that so many of Madrid’s key actors over the last 12 months had clearly defined positions. Jude Bellingham was brilliant as an attacking midfielderwhie Vinicius Jr will likely win the Ballon d’Or for his performances as a left-winger-turned-inside forward.

      Rodrygo, for his part, doesn’t really have a clearly defined role – or even a best position. This issue has been floating around for a few years now, and if he is to be taken at his word, Rodrygo is best used an attacking midfielder of sorts.

      “With the 4-2-3-1, behind [Karim Benzema] is the position that I like the most and everyone knows this. I always talk about it with the coach. Of course, I can play in all positions, but that’s where it’s where I feel more comfortable when it comes to playing,” he told GOAL in 2023.

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      Not the headline-maker

      A glance over the existing Ballon d’Or nominees shows a list laden with Madrid’s talent. The obvious ones are there: Vinicius, Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe. So too are the purists’ picks: Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger, Fede Valverde. Dani Carvajal also makes the cut, likely on the back of his trophy cabinet from a year that also included him winning Euro 2024 with Spain.

      Rodrygo can certainly have no complaints to see Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicius on the list ahead of him. Given Kroos’ overall impact on the season – and the sentimentality that has certainly crept into the decision-making since his retirement – it’s hard to argue against him, either.

      And therein lies the other issue. Rodrygo isn’t the best player on this Madrid team. He isn’t the second, third-best, either. He may be an excellent footballer, but he is probably the fifth-best on his own team, and doesn’t have the national team success that comfortably propels him further up the list in the eyes of voters.

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        Arguments for inclusion

        Still, despite all of this, Rodrygo really does have a point. Criteria exist, and there are undoubtedly politics and personal interests at play here. It is baffling, for example, that Vitinha – he of seven goals, four assists for Paris Saint-Germain – is on this list, while Ademola Lookman likely only made it off the back of one Europa League final hat-trick.

        Rodrygo’s Brazil team-mate, Neymar, certainly made his thoughts clear when he called the ex-Santos teenager “one of the top five in the world, minimum”, while Carlo Ancelotti also backed his man in a recent press conference.

        “He deserved to be there and I understand that he is upset,” the Italian said. “Someone has forgotten what he has done in the Champions League, scoring against City and being important. It’s a virtue that he’s a wildcard, that he can play in many positions and always [do] well.”

        We are told, quite often, that athletes shouldn’t ever complain, that they are lucky to be in the positions that they are in, that individual accomplishments don’t really matter in a team sport. But they are also human beings who want acknowledgment for their achievements.

        It is, contrary to popular belief, completely understandable for Rodrygo to feel annoyed here. Zoom out – and this is a very difficult thing in sport – and there are not 29 players in world football better than him.

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        Time to move on?

        So how does Rodrygo ensure this doesn’t happen again? The most obvious answer is to continue to perform, but he is perhaps the biggest loser of the arrival of Mbappe at the Bernabeu. If his touches were limited before, he might be feeding off scraps now. The numbers – yes, it all comes back to numbers – of two goal involvements in five games back that up.

        He could also do with a signature moment or two. He proved he was capable of it, grabbing a few big goals in Los Blancos’ run to the 2021-22 Champions League title in a bench role. More of that might make his case more compelling.

        But perhaps the easist answer – and most effective – would be an eventual change of scenery. Rodrygo has the talent and nous to be the best player on a Champions League-competing team, the star man of a side that is constantly in the hunt for trophies. Madrid do not sell players – it’s not really their thing – but Ancelotti has made it clear that those who want to leave can be shown the door.

        He might not want to, but if individual achivements really do matter that much, then Rodrygo would have plenty of suitors if he wants to show just how good he can be. Ultimatety, it will come down to the player, and whether he is happy out of the spotlight, or truly desperate to prove that he is one of the best out there.