Updated 05/11/2024 06:38 EST
Carlo Ancelotti deflected attention from Vinícius Júnior’s Ballon d’Or disappointment by pointing to a national tragedy—the recent DANA storm that devastated the Valencia region, causing deadly floods and hundreds of deaths.
At least 95 people have been killed in possibly the deadliest flooding to hit Spain in its modern history
Sources
A torrential downpour hammered Valencia’s eastern region, tearing through bridges and sweeping away buildings
Sources
While fans and analysts have been dissecting the snub that cost Vinícius soccer’s most prestigious individual award, Ancelotti chose to pin the young player’s sadness on the Valencia disaster rather than his the Ballon d’Or loss to Manchester City star Rodri.
Vinicius
X / @realmadriden
Given Vinícius’s frustrationone might have expected Ancelotti to simply support Real Madrid’s “spoiled” star with some standard words of encouragement—without using the DANA tragedy to excuse the player’s sadness, tricking people into sympathizing with him, despite his constant on-field provocations toward the crowd and his history of unfair play actions.
Carlo Ancelotti
X / @realmadriden
