Ballon d'Or: Ghanaian Journalist Michael Oti Adjei Explains Why He Voted Rodri Ahead of Vinicius

• The long-awaited breakdown of the 2024 Ballon d'Or votes by the specialised jury has been finally come to light
• Among the 100 journalists who formed part of the jury in deciding the eventual winner, Ghana was represented by Michael Oti-Adjei
• The ace sports broadcaster has been the country's representative in selecting who wins the most coveted individual prize in football

Prominent Ghanaian journalist Michael Oti Adjei has opened up about the main reasons why he voted for Rodri to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or ahead of Vinicius Junior.

Rodri’s victory secured the prestigious award by a narrow 41-point lead, marking one of the closest and most fiercely contested races in recent years.

The anticipation surrounding the Ballon d'Or was intense, particularly as Real Madrid opted to boycott the ceremony after learning Vinicius would not claim the title.

L’Equipe has since disclosed the specific breakdown of votes from the international jury, composed of 100 specialised sports journalists, each representing their respective countries.

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Why Oti Adjei voted for Rodri ahead of Vinicius

Oti Adjei was among 100 respected journalists who picked the deserving player for the top football award.

The experienced broadcaster, who is a legendary figure in sports media in Ghana, cast his Ballon d'Or vote for Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who ultimately won the award.

In a list shared on social media, he had Rodri, Vinicius Jr and Manchester City forward Erling Haaland in his top three.

In an interview with Pure FM, Adjei explained the factors that led him to prioritise Rodri over Vinicius in his voting decision.

"A lot more of the 100 journalists voted for Rodri than they did for Vinicius. There were too many players from Real Madrid who looked like the main thing.

"For me, it was very simple. I thought that if you had an individual who had the most impact on the team over the year 2024, I was convinced it was 2024.

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In big games, when it mattered most, he was more influential. You could rely on Rodri to control the tempo of games, build up in attacks and his ability to score in crunch moments. He was the most consistent player, as he said himself.

Adjei noted that Vinicius' disappointing performance at the Copa America played a key role in his decision not to vote for the Brazilian star.

"When I also received the email when I was doing the voting, that was my biggest consideration. If Vinicius has done what Rodri did at national team level, I think he would have won it. In the end, it became a game changer.

Finland journalist withdraws from Ballon d'Or

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Finnish journalist Juha Kanerva has stepped down from the Ballon d'Or jury after acknowledging an error in his voting.

Just under two weeks after Vinícius Júnior narrowly lost the 2024 Ballon d'Or to Rodri, the winger responded with a hat trick against Osasuna on Saturday, November 9.

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Ballon d'Or winner aims another dig at Vinicius while comparing Haaland to Ronaldo, Messi

The Brazilian forward brought the Santiago Bernabéu crowd to its feet, opening the scoring for Real Madrid in the 34th minute.

Source: YEN.com.gh