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Vinicius Junior snubbed the Ballon d'Or ceremony after it was leaked that Spain and Manchester City's Rodri would win the award. Good decision?
Brazil and Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior was absent on Monday night as Manchester City’s Rodri was handed the Ballon d’Or award.
Up until a few hours before the award ceremony, Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior was the frontrunner to win the coveted Ballon d’Or trophy following his exploits for Los Blancos.
However, all of that changed within a split second on Monday evening when transfer guru Fabrizio Romano announced that Rodri had pipped Vinicius to the award. Other notable publications like Marca, The Athletic, and Pulse Sports Nigeria followed, confirming the news.
Real Madrid reacted by pulling out of the award ceremony and didn’t send any representative, not President Florentino Perez nor coach Carlo Ancelotti or the quartet of Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, who had been nominated.
Here are 3 reasons why Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior were in the right for snubbing the Ballon d’Or award ceremony:
1. A total lack of respect
Vinicius Junior, in the last one year has been the best football player across all European leagues, and he was instrumental in Real Madrid winning another Champions League title - the 15th in the club’s history and the most number of titles by any club side.
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07:03 - 29.10.2024
'It is not a victory for me' - Rodri reacts after winning 2024 Ballon d'Or
Rodri became the third player, after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to win the award since 2008.
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06:45 - 29.10.2024
'They're not ready' — Vinicius Jr reacts to losing Ballon d'Or to Rodri
Vinicius Jr published an initial reaction to losing the Ballon d'Or after Rodri was announced as the winner.
Vinicius came up clutch in the final and put the finishing nail in Dortmund’s coffin to seal a convincing 2-0 triumph. In a repeat of the fixture a week ago, Vini Jnr scored a hattrick to pull Real Madrid back from 2-0 down to win 5-2 in the end.
It was nothing but a total show of disrespect for the organisers to tilt the votes towards Rodri in the closing minutes of the awards ceremony. And yes, Vinicius Junior was right to snub the event.
2. Numbers don’t lie
Talk about impacts, talk about clutch performances, talk about great goals and matchwinners and then you can only point to Vinicius Junior.
With 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across all competitions, I believe Vinicius Junior performed more than enough to clinch the Ballon d’Or, but the ‘powers that be’ wanted someone different, and that’s why Rodri ended up winning.
Of course, Rodri is a fantastic player and a very important one for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, but on the balance of play for last season, even a blind man knows that Vinicius Junior was clear of the Spaniard.
Vinicius has nothing to prove to anyone. His performance on the field of play, tearing defenders to shreds, mesmerising goalkeepers and turning up when it mattered the most, does not need Ballon d’Or to validate him.
Again, it was the right decision by Vinicius and Real Madrid to boycott the award ceremony.
3. A bold statement by Vinicius
After Rodri was declared the Ballon d’Or award winner, Vinicius Junior broke his silence with an audacious statement.
He posted a cryptic message on X (formerly Twitter), translated: "I'll do it 10x if I have to. They're not ready."
French midfielder showed full support for his Real Madrid teammate. He said, “Nothing will take away what you’ve achieved my brother. We ALL know…They are not ready for what you’re gonna deliver. Love 👑🤍”
Camavinga also followed in the footsteps of his countryman to throw his weight behind Vinicius Junior.
"My brother you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro," he said
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00:48 - 29.10.2024
Rodri beats Vinicius, Bellingham to Ballon d'Or main prize
Manchester City's Rodri has been named as the 2024 Ballon d 'Or winner.
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23:49 - 27.10.2024
'They are criminals!' — Vinicius slams racist Real Madrid fans after abuse against Yamal, Barcelona stars
Vinicius maintains an unwavering stance against racism after a section of Real Madrid fans employed racially charged insults against Barcelona stars.
Other Real Madrid players like Arda Güler, Andriy Lunin and many other stars like Karim Benzema have shown solidarity with Vinicius Junior.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti thanked his family, club president, and players, particularly Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal.
Most football pundits expected Vinicius Junior to win the ballon d’Or, but the organisers decided to give it to Rodri - a decision many believed was influenced by UEFA for 'obvious reasons'.
However, I believe the Brazilian was right to snub the award ceremony.
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