A wobbling Real Madrid skipped the celebration when they found out Vinicius Junior wouldn’t win the Ballon d’Or, so Rodri was named the best player in the world.

Rodri, a great player for Manchester City, won the award. He will miss the rest of the season because of two knee injuries. He is the first Premier League player to win it since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008. 

The Spain player got the award at the Théâtre du Chatelet while using crutches. 

Rodri, who is 28 years old, helped City win their fourth straight league title this year and was an important part of Spain’s team that won the European Championship. Rodri has only lost one club game in the last 18 months.

Some say that Vinicius, the Brazil winger who was the bookmakers’ favorite to win, found out that he hadn’t won, so Real pulled their 50-person group just hours before the ceremony. 

But no one was there to accept the awards. Real won team of the year and Carlo Ancelotti got men’s coach of the year.

The clearly emotional player said, “Incredible night for me today” on Monday night, as he took in all the praise. I’d like to speak in my country’s language if you don’t mind.

He also said in Spanish, “I’ve always said that one of my most important traits is that I work to get better every day.” 

“I used to play as a traditional midfielder, but I knew I needed to speed up my goals and assists.” We always play up front, so you have to be like a goal. That’s how you get better every day. 

“I’m just a normal guy, not many people know much about me.” I try to enjoy my job, be a good person, and be a leader. Every day, I learn from the best. 

“Until I get mad, I’m a calm person.” Like most people, I try to teach my kids that they don’t have to be crazy and to always do their best. 

I feel a lot better now. You can get hurt, it’s a part of life and sports. I try to be upbeat and see the good in things. 

Carlo Ancelotti won Men’s Coach of the Year and Real Madrid won Men’s Team of the Year, which were the two worst parts of the party. Both prizes were not claimed because every club official chose to follow Vinicius’s lead and not participate.

The Women’s Ballon d’Or went to Aitana Bonmati, the Kopa Trophy went to Lamine Yamal, and the Yashin Trophy went to Emi Martinez.

Harry Kane got the Gerd Muller award for having the most goals, and Emma Hayes was named the Women’s Coach of the Year. 

Rodri beat out players like Vinicius and Jude Bellingham to win the prized award, which was the worst kept secret in football. This made Los Blancos very angry.

It was announced earlier today that the midfielder had been picked as this year’s winner. Real and Vinicius then decided not to go to the gala, which was held at the Theatre du Chatelet.

The big teams in Spain were hoping that right back Dani Carvajal, who had won La Liga, the Champions League, and the Euros, would get the award if their Brazilian forward didn’t get it. 

But when word got out today that Rodri was the winner, Real responded very badly, and not a single club official was there to see their team win several awards and have players place high on the main list.

Because of all the fuss, Ballon d’Or organizers said on Monday afternoon, before the ceremony: “No player and no club knows the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or yet.” 

True to form, though, Rodri will bring the prestigious award back to Manchester to cap off a great year.

Supporters of Vinicius booed the Spaniard as he limped down the red carpet with his wife Laura Iglesias. He was on crutches because he hurt his anterior cruciate ligament and was still healing.

Rodri stopped with his crutches and waved at the crowd for a few seconds, making everyone happy. This is the kind of poise that has helped City win a lot of awards since he joined. 

He said, “[I’m] feeling good” before his win tonight. This is the first month of getting better. We still have a long way to go, but we’re glad to be here.

 “I’m honored to be nominated.” For me, it’s always a big step. My first year was last year. “I don’t know what will happen,” she said.

As the night got closer to its end, the lower spots on the list were filled with Premier League stars, such as Martin Odegaard of Arsenal in 19th, Emi Martinez of Aston Villa in 18th, and Phil Foden of City in 11th.

At the same time, Yamal (17), a player for Barcelona, won the Kopa Trophy for best young player, making history as the first player under 18 to do so. Kobbie Mainoo (33) of Manchester United came in third. 

It was announced that Los Blancos was the winner of Men’s Club of the Year. The trophy was not received, which was made even more awkward when Ancelotti won Men’s Coach of the Year minutes later.