According to the joint organisers, France Football magazine and UEFA, midfielder Vitinha, 24, was ranked in 27th position, finishing ahead of Mats Hummels and Artem Dovbyk, both from Roma and in 29th place, and former Benfica player Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), who came in 28th.

Rúben Dias, 27 years old, finished in 23rd place, ahead of Declan Rice (Arsenal), in 26th place, Cole Palmer (Chelsea), in 25th, and William Saliba (Arsenal), in 24th, while Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) was 22nd, Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) 21st and Hakan Çalhanoglu (Inter Milan) 20th.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d'Or for the first time, becoming only the third Spanish football player to take the top spot in the award's almost 70 years of existence.

The 28-year-old Spanish international was voted the best player in the 2023/24 season. Rodri, who is recovering from a serious knee injury sustained in September, won Euro2024 with Spain in July and was voted the best player in that tournament, in addition to helping Manchester City win their unprecedented fourth title in England, the UEFA Super Cup, in August 2023, and the FIFA Club World Cup, in December of the same year.

It has been 64 years since a Spanish football player was awarded the ‘Ballon D’Or’, the last being Luis Suárez, in 1960, after Alfredo di Stéfano had received the trophy in 1957 and 1959.

The Ballon d'Or for the best female football player was won for the second year in a row by Spain's Aitana Bonmatí, who surpassed two teammates at FC Barcelona on the podium, Norwegian Caroline Graham, in second place, and compatriot Salma Paralluelo, who finished in third.