Damning details have emerged revealing that Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid had made big plans to celebrate his Ballon d’Or, having believed media reports that the award was set to go to him.
Only days before the awards ceremony in Paris, the Brazilian winger was allegedly telling Barcelona rival Gavi that he would claim the 2024 Ballon d’Or. And yet, in the hours leading up to the event, it became apparent that this would not be the case.
The prize instead would be picked up by Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri, off the back of a season in which he won both the Premier League and Euro 2024. Upon learning of his rejection, Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid both decided to boycott the awards, refusing to fly out to Spain.
They were evidently shocked by the snub and an update from journalist Luis Mazariegos shows just how certain the club were that their star winger would be picking up the praise.
Real Madrid Had Big Plans to Celebrate Ballon d’Or
Vinicius Jr’s camp in complete shock after snub
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Per Mazariegos, there were three notable events planned for when Vinicius Jr claimed the Ballon d’Or.
Nike had specially designed Vinicius Jr Ballon d’Or boots to unveil at an event in Madrid the following day
Real Madrid TV had five hours of programming to air, covering all the details of his win
Vinicius was going to throw a party and hand out Rolex watches
As it happened the award went to Rodri instead, sparking a pretty furious reaction from those within the club and close to the player. His teammates, manager Carlo Ancelotti, and president Florentino Perez, all decided against flying to Paris for the event.
A source within the club noted that there was a belief that “the Ballon d’Or and UEFA do not respect Real Madrid” and Vinicius’ camp were said to be in complete shock over the decision, unable to understand why he was not awarded the title – it’s been suggested that some of his friends were already in their suits, ready to make their way to Paris.
A number of Madrid-affiliated stars have since shown support for the Brazilian, with former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema claiming that the winger should have been given the prize instead of Rodri.