Ballon d’Or organisers have shed light on Vinicius Jr’s surprising exclusion from the prestigious award, Soccernet.football reports.
The Brazilian forward, once considered a frontrunner, ultimately lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri — a decision that prompted frustration from Real Madrid’s camp and led to their boycott of the Paris event.
Vinicius, who scored 24 goals and registered 11 assists last season, had hoped to claim football’s highest individual honour.
However, the Ballon d’Or went to Rodri, celebrated for his role in Manchester City’s treble-winning season and Spain’s European Championship triumph.
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According to France Football’s editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia, Vinicius’s bid was affected by the strong representation of Real Madrid players, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, in the top rankings.
“Obviously, Vinicius surely suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top 5 because, mathematically, that took away some points from him. This also sums up Real Madrid’s season, which took between three and four players, and the judges shared their decisions between them, which benefited Rodri,” Garcia explained, as per the DailyMail.
Reports suggest Real Madrid’s leadership felt slighted.
Florentino Perez, the club’s president, reportedly cancelled a planned trip for a 50-strong delegation after hearing Vinicius would not win.
Club sources even described the loss as a “historic robbery,” with ESPN Brazil reporting their frustration over Vinicius’s omission.
Real Madrid’s response was pointed. The club told AFP, “If the award criteria don’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner. As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”
Garcia addressed Madrid’s absence with surprise: “I was very unpleasantly surprised by his absence.” He acknowledged pressure from Real Madrid but maintained the process was fair, saying, “I was always clear, fair, and perhaps my silence pushed them to the limit.”
Despite Vinicius’s absence, Real Madrid still claimed the Team of the Year award, while manager Carlo Ancelotti was named Men’s Manager of the Year.
Meanwhile, Barcelona enjoyed a successful evening with Aitana Bonmati winning her second consecutive Ballon d’Or and young talent Lamine Yamal claiming the Kopa Trophy.
