# Ballon D'or By [kevinrobinson](https://paragraph.com/@kevinrobinson) · 2024-10-29 --- Lautaro, Wirtz, Bellingham, Vinicius-they all had an outstanding season, all of them must be included in all symbolic teams, receive all possible awards. But Rodri was on another, heavenly level. One of the best destroyers in the world. One of the best at moving the ball. Glues and organizes teams. Was almost always available, played more than Vinicius by 1250 minutes - that is a record of 14 full matches. From the holding zone, he scored 27 goals (12 + 15) in all tournaments. It's that kind of level where strong forwards like Nicholas Jackson are. Odegaard, the most creative in Arsenal, scored less. 17 of his 23 goals were either winning or equalizing. He scored them at crucial junctures, turned games around. And he was consistent throughout the season - didn't have one catastrophic game, remember. A formal defensive midfielder, he was everywhere-from his own to the opponent's penalty area. Rodri simply went beyond his position last season, playing for three. No player in the world has ever come close to such an elite contribution to victories. And he backed it up with titles-he won the Premier League and the European Championship. Sorry, guys, but most of the time, Vinicius does an attacking contribution. He doesn't influence all stages of the game, doesn't determine his team's play. Without him, Real Madrid scored on average 2.4 points per game last season, while with Rodri, City scored 1.6 points - four defeats in nine matches; with Rodri in the squad, City have averaged 2.38 points with him and 1.72 without him. Vinicius is the main player in main matches and the final third, Rodri in all matches and the whole field. Even his attacking contribution last season was such that he could compete with Vini - 27 goals against Vinicius' 39. And only one defeat in the regular time in 58 matches of the season. Understand, this is above the level of Modrić-2018, this is something from the microcosm of Iniesta and Xavi, enclosed in one period. Perhaps this was the strongest season of a defensive midfielder in history, and someone just out of spite, blindness, or populism does not want to recognize it. --- *Originally published on [kevinrobinson](https://paragraph.com/@kevinrobinson/ballon-dor-1)*