France Football magazine editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia has explained why Vinicius Junior did not win the men’s player award at the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday night, Afrosport reports.
The Real Madrid star was believed to be the winner of the award but Los Blancos boycotted the ceremony after it emerged before the ceremony it was going to be handed over to Manchester City midfielder Rodri, the eventual winner.
Rodri’s win sparked outrage from Madrid, with the club showing their displeasure on social media while former players connected with the club also took to social media to show support for Vinicius, likewise media in his home country, Brazil.
Garcia, who heads the Paris-based magazine responsible for organising the Ballon d’Or, stated that the presence of Madrid duo Jude Bellingham and Danio Carvajal in the top five was a hindrance to Vinicius’ chances of bagging the award.
“It was a close victory, it wasn’t decided by much,” he told L’Equipe.
“Obviously, Vinicius probably suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top five because, mathematically, it took away a few points.
“It also sums up Real’s season, which was carried by three or four players, and the judges shared their choices between them, which benefitted Rodri.”
This year marked the first time the Ballon d’Or winner was not announced before the award ceremony and Garcia revealed he got a lot of pressure from Real to change the rules which he did not budge to.
“We were very clear with them and all the other clubs,” he added. “This year, the winner would not be notified. I thought everyone had accepted it but at the last moment, I don’t know why, they wanted to change the rule. When Real made their decision, I’m not sure there wasn’t an element of bluffing.
“I had a lot of pressure from Real Madrid but, as with other clubs, I was always clear, fair and maybe my silence made them change their mind. But it was the same as with the others. Which did not prevent the journalists from being very unpleasantly surprised by the Merengues’ decision.”
Rodri’s award made him the first Spanish player to win the Ballon d’Or since 1960. He is also the first-ever Manchester City player to win the award and the first Premier League player to win it since Cristiano Ronaldo did with Manchester United in 2008.
