Tottenham flop Richarlison was left seething after Rodri scooped the Ballon d’Or.
Vinicius Junior, Richarlison’s fellow Brazilian, had been tipped as the favourite to clinch the prestigious award on Monday night. However, in a stunning turn of events, it was Rodri who took home the trophy, following his triumphs with Manchester City and Spain at Euro 2024.
Real Madrid, Vinicius’ club, staged a boycott of the Paris awards gala in fury over their star player being overlooked. And they weren’t alone in their indignation at Rodri’s victory, with a host of Premier League stars outraged, including the ex-Everton striker.
Richarlison took to Instagram to voice a scathing critique of the Ballon d’Or organisers, France Football. The forward had broadcast his live reaction to the announcement, visibly stunned when Rodri was declared the winner, clasping his head in disbelief.
“All of us who live football eagerly await the individual awards each season. Today, all Brazilians who love football woke up expecting to see another player from our country win an award for the best in the world after so long,” he wrote in his post, reports the Mirror.
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“Unfortunately, for reasons that no one can understand, the award did not come. And don’t get me wrong, Rodri is a great player who deserves to be among the best. But Vini not winning the Ballon d’Or was embarrassing, and the only one who lost today was football.”
Richarlison, who has scored just 16 goals in 70 appearances for Tottenham since his £60m transfer from Everton, added: “I remember Vini saying that his dream was to see the whole of Brazil cheering for him. And that day was today! You are a giant and the best in the world, kid! And no trophy will change that. Keep going and never shut up! We’re together!”
Lucas Paqueta, Richarlison’s compatriot, also expressed his frustration over the award results. Addressing Vinicius via Instagram, he conveyed: “Just so you know that I’m proud to say that I’m your friend, that I admire you and root for you more than any victory of mine!”
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“That I admire your story and the person you’ve become! You’re the best! Even if they say otherwise! I love you and we’re closer than ever! Always moving forward!!!”
Mario Lemina from Wolves joined in the outcry, insisting that Vinicius deserved the top honour. He declared: “Rodri is the best midfielder in the world yes. But the best player in the world right now is Vinicius no doubt. Bye football.”
However, not every Premier League star disagreed with Rodris win. Ilkay Gundogan, his City team-mate and ex-Barcelona player, celebrated Rodri’s achievement, convinced it was well-earned.
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He took to Instagram, gushing: “From today on he is finally not ‘underrated’ anymore. Congratulations to my teammate Rodri on wining the Ballon d’Or! For me this is very well deserved! I’m especially happy that someone on a defensive position is winning this title and not always just the offensive players!
“Rodri is the perfect midfielder and there’s no one that plays his position better than he does. There are so many clubs in Europe that are looking for a world class holding midfielder, but in the end there’s only him! What a development in recent years!”