Soccer
Rodri Wins the 2024 Ballon d’Or: A Look at the Other Premier League Players Who Cracked the Top 30
Beating outright favorite Vinicius Junior, Manchester City midfield maestro Rodri stood on the top step on Monday, October 28, deservedly accepting the 2024 Ballon d’Or at the Chatelet Theater in Paris. The coveted individual accolade has gone to a Premier League player for the first time since Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) in 2008.
The defensive midfielder enjoyed a stellar 2023-24 season for Man City and Spain, winning the UEFA Super League, the Club World Cup, and the Premier League title with his club; and the 2024 European Championship with his country. Rodri emerged as the player of the tournament at the Club World Cup and EURO 2024, and he scored for Man City in the all-important final game on the Premier League calendar.
Alongside winner Rodri, nine other Premier League players cracked the top 30 in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings. Read on to check out who they are. Let’s begin!
#9 Declan Rice (Arsenal)
The man who holds it all together for Arsenal, Declan Rice deservedly secured a top-30 finish in the 2024 Ballon d’Or. The Englishman was in 26th place in the rankings, emerging as one of the highest-rated defensive midfielders in the world.
Rice greatly boosted Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League title after his switch from West Ham United last summer. Had the Gunners been a tad more clinical, they would have finished ahead of Manchester City. Throughout the 2023-24 Premier League season, Rice scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 38 games. He also made 83 tackles, blocked 23 shots, performed 178 recoveries, and won 156 duels.
Rice was a mainstay in Gareth Southgate’s England XI throughout EURO 2024. He played every minute of the tournament as the Three Lions lost out to Rodri’s Spain in the final.
#8 Cole Palmer (Manchester City/Chelsea)
Chelsea forward Cole Palmer finished in 25th place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or standings. The gifted England attacker cracked the top 30 despite the Blues’ inability to finish inside the top four in the Premier League last season.
Palmer moved from Manchester City to Chelsea in August and immediately hit the ground running. He played 34 matches for the Pensioners in 2023-24, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists. His heroics allowed him to win the Premier League Young Player of the Season award. Palmer, however, did not get to make the same impact for England in EURO 2024, as Gareth Southgate had different preferences. He played five games (2 starts), scoring once and providing an assist.
#7 William Saliba (Arsenal)
Arsenal center-back William Saliba has finished in 24th place in the race for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award. The French center-back helped Arsenal take the fight to Manchester City in the Premier League and started every game as France reached the EURO 2024 semi-finals.
Mikel Arteta deployed Saliba in all 38 Premier League games last season. He rewarded his coach’s faith by delivering exceptional performances, helping them keep 18 clean sheets. Saliba attempted 41 tackles, made 29 interceptions, blocked four shots, completed 213 recoveries, and won 139 duels for the Gunners last term. He also scored twice and provided an assist.
#6 Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Manchester City center-back Ruben Dias has finished in 23rd place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or standings. Dias, who is one of the best defenders in England, helped Man City win the title for a record fourth-consecutive season last term. He also proved pivotal as Pep Guardiola’s team won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
Dias played 30 Premier League games for City, helping them keep nine clean sheets. He made 30 interceptions, completed 108 recoveries, won 101 duels, and performed two goal-line clearances. He, however, could not live up to expectations for Portugal in EURO 2024, as Os Navegadores exited in the quarter-finals.
#5 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka finished in the 21st place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, emerging as the sixth-best player in the English top flight. The right-winger performed well as Arsenal finished second in the Premier League race and England reached the EURO 2024 final.
Arsenal came mighty close to winning the Premier League title last season and Saka is one of the reasons why. He was a force to be reckoned with in the final third, scoring 16 goals and providing nine assists in 35 games. Saka also fared decently for the Three Lions in Germany, chipping in with a goal and an assist in seven games.
#4 Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
In fourth place, we have Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, with him finishing in 19th place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings. Unlike the top three on this list, Odegaard could not help Arsenal or Norway to any major trophy across the 2023-24 season, which led to his outside-the-top-10 finish.
Odegaard was in excellent form in the Premier League last season. Playing 35 matches, he scored eight goals and provided 10 assists as the Gunners finished just a couple of points behind Man City in the title race. The 25-year-old also chipped in with a couple of goals and an assist in the UEFA Champions League (9 games).
#3 Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Finishing 18th, Emiliano Martinez has emerged as the highest-ranked goalkeeper in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings. The 32-year-old goalkeeper helped Villa reach the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history and played a pivotal role as Argentina won the Copa America in 2024.
Martinez enjoyed a strong 2023-24 season for the Villans, keeping eight clean sheets in 34 games and helping them finish fourth in the Premier League rankings. He made 95 saves and conceded 48 goals in the English top flight. In Copa, he kept five clean sheets in six games. He also saved two crucial spot-kicks as Argentina beat Ecuador 5-3 on penalties in the quarter-finals.
#2 Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Manchester City ace Phil Foden secured a joint-career-best 11th-place finish in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings. Foden won the Premier League title, the Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup with City and was one of the first names on England’s team sheet as they reached the 2024 European Championship final.
Foden enjoyed a terrific Premier League run in 2023-24, chipping in with 19 goals and eight assists in 35 appearances. His impressive showing helped him win the Premier League Player of the Season award. Foden, unfortunately, could not carry his form over to EURO 2024, failing to score or assist in seven starts.
#1 Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Manchester City sharpshooter Erling Haaland is the second-best player in the Premier League, according to the 2024 Ballon d’Or standings. The Norwegian enjoyed a fine 2023-24 season with the Cityzens and finished fifth in the rankings, behind Rodri, Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Dani Carvajal.
Haaland could not capture his 2022-23 season form last term, but his output was still comfortably better than any of the other Premier League strikers. He played 45 games in all competitions, scoring 38 goals and providing five assists. His 27 Premier League goals (31 games) proved pivotal as Man City became the first English team to win the title in four consecutive seasons.