According to the report, Rodri will win the 2024 Ballon d'Or, Vinicius Junior will skip the ceremony

In an unexpected turn of events, Rodri is expected to become the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner against Vinícius Júnior.

FOLLOW SI SOCCER'S BALLON D'OR 2024 CEREMONY LIVE BLOG INCLUDING NEWS, UPDATES, WINNERS AND MORE

Mario Cortegana of The Athletic reported that Real Madrid know Vinícius Júnior will not win the 2024 Ballon d'Or; The most prestigious individual award in football has now apparently gone to Manchester City's Rodri.

Real Madrid will reportedly not travel to Paris, where the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Fellow Ballon d'Or nominees and teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal as well as Carlo Ancelotti and Florentino Pérez are also unlikely to take part. ESPN also reported that the Brazilian striker will not be traveling to the event.

Vinícius Jr. was the favorite to win the award for his contributions to Real Madrid's La Liga, Champions League and Spanish Super Cup titles. The Brazilian scored a hat-trick in the Spanish Super Cup final, 15 goals in La Liga and six goals in the Champions League, including one in the final against Borussia Dortmund.

However, Rodri also had good reasons to take home the Ballon d'Or. The midfielder was instrumental in Manchester City's Premier League title win with 17 goals. He also won the UEFA Super Cup with the Citizens and helped Spain win Euro 2024.

READ THE LATEST MANCHESTER CITY NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE