Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has officially commented for the first time on the 2024 Ballon d’Or, which was ultimately awarded to Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri instead of the team’s Brazilian winger from Madrid, Vinícius Júnior, who was widely considered the favorite to win the prize.
Pérez, who decided to cancel the team’s trip to Paris upon learning on the day of the awards ceremony that Vinícius would not win, said the Spanish player deserved the recognition, but not this year.
“He has all our affection and the recognition of Real Madrid. Without a doubt, he deserved a Ballon d’Or, but not this year. His Ballon d’Or was last year when he won the treble and scored the decisive goal in the Champions League final,” Pérez told a General Assembly of Real Madrid members.
Read more:
Real Madrid will evaluate a new ownership structure – Florentino Pérez – Notiulti
The Real Madrid president avoided delving into the controversy surrounding Vinícius Júnior’s candidacy and further highlighted that some of the club’s players who won LaLiga and the Champions League last season, and performed well with their national teams , should receive recognition.
“Whether it’s Vinícius, as the global fan cry suggested, and as the poll carried out by L’Equipe indicated with Vinícius winning 41% of the votes, or our captain, Dani Carvajal, who could have received a weight additional due to Spain’s success in the European Championship,” he underlined.
“Or even Jude Bellingham, who also reached the European Cup final and had a spectacular season,” added Florentino Pérez, referring to another Real Madrid player who was among the five finalists for the Ballon d ‘Gold 2024.
The Real Madrid president then expressed his displeasure, stating that the voting process for this award should be conducted differently than it was this time, given that it was the first time that the The prize was organized by France Football and UEFA.
“The Ballon d’Or must be organized independently, and the votes for this award must be in the hands of individuals of recognized prestige, evaluators who understand that their vote also affects their reputation,” underlined the Madrid executive .
“We don’t know who voted or what countries they came from. For all these reasons, Real Madrid considered it appropriate not to attend this edition of the Ballon d’Or ceremony,” concluded Florentino Pérez, explaining the club’s decision not to travel to Paris.
