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Renowned Ghanaian sports journalist Michael Oti Adjei has disclosed the reason why he chose Manchester City midfielder Rodri over Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior in the 2024 Ballon d’Or voting.

Ballon d’Or 2024: Michael Oti Adjei explains why he voted for Rodri over Vinicius Jr | Pulse Ghana

Mandela Anuvabe

Oti Adjei noted that more than 100 journalists also had Rodri over the Brazilian in their voting.&nbsp;

He also believed that Real Madrid having several strong frontrunners for the Golden Ball meant the votes were shared between the trio of Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, and Vini Jr.&nbsp;

“Look at the number of people who put Rodri first. There’s always the mistake of thinking that publicity equals the real thing, but overall, a lot more, over 100 journalists voted for Rodri than they did for Vinicius.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“In a certain way, there were too many players from Real Madrid who looked like they were the main thing. There was Bellingham, at some point, they were routing for Carvajal, so it was natural that if the voting was based on whether you liked Real Madrid [the votes will be shared or reduced]...”&nbsp;

On why he voted the Spaniard over the Los Blancos player, the ace sports journalist said the former was more impactful in crucial games last season. The 28-year-old defensive midfielder, according to him, offered more than just a defensive shield to Pep Guardiola’s side.&nbsp;

“So, this is what I took into consideration when I voted on October 10, for me it was fairly simple. Number one, I thought that if you had an individual who had the most impact on a team over the year 2024, I was convinced it was Rodri.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“And my conviction also was based on that you know when it was big games, when it mattered most, he wasn’t just a good central defensive midfielder,” said Oti Adjei on Kumasi-based Pure FM.&nbsp;

<h2>How Michael Oti Adjei voted in the 2024 Ballon d’Or&nbsp;</h2>

Rodri wins 2024 Ballon d’Or over Vini Jr, becomes first EPL winner since Ronaldo in 2008

Oti Adjei picked <a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.pulse.com.gh/sports/football/rodri-wins-2024-ballon-dor-after-impressive-season/w12ljcq">Rodri, the eventual winner,</a> as his topmost pick. Second place went to Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr., while his third and fourth picks were Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland, respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lamine Yamal came in fifth, Dani Carvajal in sixth, Toni Kroos in seventh, and Ademola Lookman of Atalanta in eighth place in Oti Adjei's Ballon d'Or vote.&nbsp;

Kylian Mbappe and Phil Foden were 9th and 10th respectively.&nbsp;

Ballon d’Or 2024: Michael Oti Adjei explains why he voted for Rodri over Vinicius Jr

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