The Real Madrid general meeting organized this Sunday was an opportunity for Florentino Pérez to give another layer on the Golden Ball. Convinced that the trophy should have gone to Vinicius Junior and not to Rodri, the Madrid boss denounced the votes of part of the jury.
He still hasn't digested it. A month after Rodri's coronation at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Florentino Pérez continues to cry scandal. And to denounce the second place that Vinicius Junior had to settle for. Like all of Real Madrid, the Brazilian imagined himself as a big winner this year, with a La Liga-Champions League double, and a good handful of major performances at club. But the trophy ultimately went to Rodri for just 41 points, English champion with Manchester City and major architect of La Roja's triumph at the Euro.
If some saw it as a collective victory, and the counter-current of an era increasingly focused on individual stats, Real remains immersed in incomprehension. This Sunday, on the occasion of his club's general meeting, Florentino Pérez did it again. By directly attacking certain members of the Ballon d'Or jury, made up of 100 specialized and international journalists. “There are journalists that no one knows who voted this year. Without the votes of journalists from countries like Uganda, Namibia, Albania and Finland, Vinicius would have won the Golden Ball,” said the president of Real.
“At least the Finn resigned!”
For example, the Ugandan journalist gave the most points to Rodri, and placed Vinicius in 8th place in his top 10 behind Lautaro Martinez, Harry Kane or Kylian Mbappé. Vinicius does not even appear in the Namibian journalist's ranking, unlike… Granit Xhaka. On the Albania side, Vinicius had to settle for 8th place, while he was skipped by the Finnish journalist, who preferred to reward Rodri, Florian Wirtz, Declan Rice and William Saliba. Enough to drive Florentino Pérez crazy, convinced that the voting system should be reviewed.
“Rodri is a great footballer. He has all our affection, he comes from Madrid, but I'll tell you something. As Tuttosport said: 'The Golden Ball should have gone to a Real Madrid player.' This year they compensated Rodri for his performances last season He deserves a Ballon d'or, but not this year I would ask France Football and L'Équipe if it makes sense to partner with the. UEFA at the moment, the Ballon d’Or should be an independent trophy and voted on by recognized people,” he insisted. And to conclude his argument to the applause of the assembly: “At least the Finn has resigned! He said he would no longer be part of the jury. Listen, I want to thank him!”
