After Vinicius Júnior put the finishing touches on the 2-0 Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund in June, Carlo Ancelotti captured the thoughts of many when he predicted: “Without a doubt, the Ballon d’Or Gold”.
It didn’t just turn out that way. To the surprise of all those linked to Real Madrid, Manchester City Rodri christened the Brazilian in the Ballon d’Or. This well-kept secret was only broken on the day of the ceremony, when it was realized that Vinicius and his entourage will boycott the event in Paris.
once MadridThe hierarchy learned that Dani Carvajal would also miss the first prize, the entire club ordered all representatives to refuse the ceremony. Carlo Ancelotti missed the chance to accept the award Men’s Coach of the Year and, more embarrassingly, Didier Drogba had to quickly shrug off the fact that Real Madrid had been voted Men’s Club of the Year.
Madrid made a bitter statement The Athletic which said: “If the award criteria do not proclaim Vinicius the winner, these same criteria should proclaim Carvajal the winner. Since this has not been the case, it is clear that UEFA-Plota d’Or does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid is not where it is not respected.”
There were no Madrid players at the event, so he had time to show his support for Vinicius from the comfort of his home via social media. Ferland Mendy set the template for most of his team-mates to follow, posting a photo of himself alongside Vinicius under a caption calling him the ‘best player in the world’.
Eduardo Camavinga reassured Vinicius by saying: “You don’t need that.” Center Eder Militao wrote: “You are the best and no one can take that away from you! The best!”
Fede Valverde extended his praise beyond the pitch, posting: “There is no award that certifies how good you are. And I’m not just talking about your quality as a player. But also off the pitch. T “I love you brother”.
Retired midfielder Toni Kroos was one of them shouts from outside for the prize, but he usually didn’t seem concerned about the whole procedure. “I have never seen the importance of these individual awards in football, they have no place,” the German told media gathered on the day of the award. When it was confirmed that Vinicius would miss out, Kroos posted a picture under two words: “The best.”
