At the 2024 Ballon d'Or Gala in Paris, football fans worldwide tuned in as Spain's Rodri lifted the coveted trophy.
But one vote stirred up a unique conversation: Equatorial Guinean journalist Fernando Beso surprised everyone by selecting Athletic Bilbao’s Ghanaian forward, Iñaki Williams, as his second pick, right after VinÃcius and ahead of eventual winner Rodri.
Fernando Beso, a respected journalist among the panel of 100 global experts who vote for the Ballon d’Or, shared his thought process during an interview with El Partidazo de Cope. He explained, "They sent me a questionnaire and also some parameters to follow to vote. You can access it through a link and you can place people according to how you think. I voted for VinÃcius as the best player, second for Iñaki Williams and then for Rodri,"
The vote placed Inaki Williams in an unexpected spotlight, igniting a lively debate among fans and football pundits.