In an exclusive interview with COPE, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez expressed his disappointment over the loss of Vinicius Jr. in the race for the Ballon d’Or. Perez did not hesitate to criticize the result, calling it a real injustice.
Rodri’s 2024 Ballon d’Or victory has clearly not gone down well with the Spanish giants. A few weeks before the ceremony, Real Madrid were stunned to learn that Vinicius Jr., considered a big favorite, would not win the prestigious award. As a result, the club made the bold decision to boycott the event, with the players and Perez choosing not to attend the ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet.
Although Vinicius has since moved on, Perez remains steadfastly vocal about the perceived injustice done to his player. Speaking this Sunday at COPE, he spoke about what he considers a glaring mistake, saying: “The Ballon d’Or? It’s an event that UEFA organized for the first time in partnership with France Football . I want to emphasize that Rodri is a great footballer and, being from Madrid, he has our affection. He deserved a Ballon d’Or, but not this year it should have gone to a Real Madrid player; legitimate, but our captain, Carvajal, or even Bellingham could have been. It’s hard to explain.”
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Perez did not hesitate to criticize the voters, adding: “Without Namibia, Uganda, Albania and Finland, Vinicius would have won the Ballon d’Or. Besides, these countries did not even give him a votes (not even in the top 10). At least the Finnish voter resigned and said he would no longer be on the jury. the organization what their criteria are. I will contact France Football and L’Équipe to question the wisdom of partnering with UEFA at this time. The Ballon d’Or should be an independent trophy decided by respected figures in the sport. .”
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Perez also dismissed the idea that Rodri’s Euro 2024 victory had any bearing on the result, insisting another Spanish player could have benefited from Spain’s triumph. “Did the Euro influence the votes? Carvajal also won it, which makes it inexplicable. But Vinicius is the best player in the world. Real Madrid fans are very proud of him.”
This latest comment from Florentino Perez clearly underlines that Real Madrid have not yet come to terms with the recent result and feel aggrieved. The pressing question now is whether Vinicius Jr. will be able to bounce back to land the prestigious title next year.
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