Ballon d'Or organisers have responded to the controversial absence of Vinicius Jr and his fellow Real Madrid stars from Monday's ceremony.
Despite being tipped as one of the favourites to win football's greatest prize, the Brazilian forward came second place to Manchester City's Rodri.
After reports had emerged earlier in the day that Vinicius would not be lifting the iconic golden ball, Real Madrid pulled out of the event.
The editor-in-chief of France Football, who are in charge of the award - has given his verdict on why the Brazilian missed out and commented on his controversial absence.
'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,' explained Vincent Garcia.
He added: 'I had a lot of pressure from Real Madrid but, as with other clubs, I was always clear, fair and perhaps my silence pushed them to the limit.
'But it was the same as with the others. I was very unpleasantly surprised by his absence.'
RMC reported that Madrid president Florentino Perez was furious with the decision.
Journalist Jose Luis Sanchez claimed a 50-strong party was scheduled to jet out, only for them to cancel after discovering Vinicius would not win.
Sources at the club told ESPN Brazil that the snub was 'historic robbery'.
Marca also reported that Madrid insiders have furiously declared 'the Ballon d'Or no longer exists for us'.
A statement from Madrid to AFP said: 'If the award criteria doesn'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.'
Vinicius Junior expressed his thoughts on social media following his close second-place finish in the Ballon d'Or voting, which was ultimately won by Rodri, the and Spain midfielder.
"I will do it ten times if I have to. They're not ready," Vinicius boldly stated in a post on X, in light of his club, Real Madrid, opting to boycott the ceremony in Paris due to the expectation that he would not be awarded the prestigious honor.
When questioned about the meaning behind his remarks, representatives from his management team explained to Reuters that Vinicius was alluding to his ongoing battle against racism within football, suggesting that this fight may have influenced the outcome of the award. They claimed, "The football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system."
The 24-year-old forward has faced racial abuse on numerous occasions in Spain, which has led to significant legal actions, resulting in at least two convictions for racist insults—a groundbreaking development in combating discrimination in sports within the country.
On a brighter note for Real Madrid fans, the club clinched the men's club of the year award, while Carlo Ancelotti received the accolade for men's coach of the year after guiding the team to a remarkable double victory in both the European and Spanish leagues last season.
France Football, the organizers of the Ballon d'Or, had not responded to requests for comment as of yet.
The awards are determined by a panel of journalists representing the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations.
In a show of support, Eduardo Camavinga from Real Madrid took to X to declare, "FOOTBALL POLITICS X. My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro," while several teammates echoed his sentiments, sharing pictures of Vinicius and proclaiming, "You are the best."
R
enowned Brazilian footballer Marta also voiced her disappointment in a video through Instagram, stating, "I waited all year for Vini Jr to be deservedly recognized as the best player in the world and now they come to tell me that the Ballon d'Or is not for him?"
Vinicius played a pivotal role in Real's Champions League-LaLiga double alongside Jude Bellingham, who, during his sensational debut season, netted 19 goals and contributed to England's journey to the Euro 2024 final, finishing third in the Ballon d'Or ranking.
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