- Vinicius Jr finished second in Ballon d’or voting but did not attend the ceremony
- Real Madrid players and coaches boycotted the glitzy event in Paris on Tuesday
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Vinicius Jr believes that his public fight against racism cost him the Ballon d’Or, a report has claimed.
The Brazilian missed out on the prestigious award to Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, while Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham came third.
The Spanish giants grabbed headlines before Tuesday’s ceremony in Paris when it was reported that players and coaches had decided to boycott the ceremony after learning Vinicius Jr would not be taking home the top honour.
The 24-year-old took to social media after he was confirmed as the runner-up, writing on X: ‘I will do it 10 times if I have to. They’re not ready.’
According to Reuters, this comment was a reference to his fight against racism in recent years.
Vinicius Jr believes that his fight against racism is to blame for missing out on the Ballon d’Or
Manchester City and Spain star Rodri took home the prestigious prize after a stunning season with Manchester City
‘The football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system.’ A member of the Brazilian winger’s management staff is quoted by the outlet as saying.
Vinicius has been at the centre of discussions on racism in football, having been target to abuse at least 16 occasions in recent years. Last month, he suggested that Spain should not host the World Cup in 2030 unless action is taken over the issue.
His remarks were quickly dismissed by LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who labelled them as ‘incoherent’.
‘I think that, if you look, you will see that his statements were not entirely consistent with what he himself says in the interview.’ He told Football Espana. ‘At the same time that he was saying that perhaps the World Cup should be re-considered, he was also saying that Spain is not a racist country.
‘Let’s remove what is incoherent and keep what is coherent: that Spain is not a racist country, and on that I agree with Vinicius.’
The Brazilian winger has been the target of abuse at least 16 times in the last 18 months
The forward broke down in tears at a press conference earlier this year when discussing the subject.
‘If the situation with racism in Spain does not improve before 2030, the World Cup would have to be moved to a different location,’ Vinicius said.
‘So I hope that Spain can evolve and understand how serious it is to insult a person because of the colour of their skin, because if things don’t evolve in 2030, I think we have to change the venue, because if the player doesn’t feel comfortable and doesn’t feel safe playing in a country where he can suffer racism, it’s a bit complicated.’
Vinicius was a hot favourite to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or after his vital contribution helped lead Madrid to a LaLiga-UEFA Champions League double.
He hit six goals and four assists in ten Champions League appearances and tallied 20 goal involvements in 26 La Liga matches.
Ahead of the event, 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.
One such instance occurred when Madrid played Valencia, which resulted in three men being handed prison sentences
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.’