Ballon d’Or general manager Vincent Garcia shares his thoughts on why Rodri (28, Manchester City) won the Ballon d’Or instead of Vinicius Junior (24, Real Madrid).
French soccer magazine France Football held the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Théâtre de la Châtelet in Paris, France, on Monday (June 29). The Ballon d’Or is awarded to the player with the best performance in the previous season and is the most prestigious trophy a footballer can receive.
The winner of the honor was Rodríguez. However, there was a small controversy surrounding this result. Some people were surprised that Rodri won the award instead of Vinicius, who was the favorite. Officials from Vinicius’ team, Real Madrid, even boycotted the ceremony.
Rodri scored nine goals and provided 14 assists in 50 appearances for City last season. He anchored City’s midfield and played an important role in Pep Guardiola’s tactics. City won four consecutive Premier League titles for the first time in their history, thanks in large part to Rodriguez.
Rodríguez also led the Spanish national team to another title. At UEFA Euro 2024, he started all but the third group stage game and dominated the center of the team. Spain went on to win the tournament on the back of his performances, and Rodri was named the tournament’s MVP despite being substituted in the final due to injury.
Rodri, who is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, showed up to the Ballon d’Or ceremony on crutches. He was handed the Ballon d’Or trophy by legendary soccer player George Weah.
Initially, it was Vinicius, not Rodri, who was the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or.
Last season, Vinicius scored 15 goals and provided six assists in 26 league games to help Real Madrid win La Liga, and he also scored six goals and provided five assists in 10 UEFA Champions League (UCL) games to help Real Madrid win their 15th UCL title.
Vinicius shone when it mattered most. In the first leg of the UCL quarterfinals against Manchester City, he scored two assists, and in the fourth leg against Bayern Munich, 메이저사이트 he shook up the defense with a multi-goal performance and a dribbling breakaway. In the final, he was on the scoresheet again, this time against Dortmund, helping Real Madrid win the UCL title.
Rumors spread in Spain that Vinicius’ Ballon d’Or win was a done deal, with Real Madrid and Vinicius himself claiming to be convinced, and the major bookmakers making him the favorite to win the award.
However, in the end, Vinicius finished second and the Ballon d’Or trophy went to Rodrigo.
Vinicius was absent from the award ceremony. Vinicius wasn’t the only Real Madrid player to boycott the ceremony, as Kylian Mbappe and coach Carlo Ancelotti also failed to show up.
According to Spanish media, Real Madrid believes that Vinicius was overlooked on merit and that his history of racism played a role.
However, Ballon d’Or general manager Vincent Garcia dismissed the rumors.
“His Real Madrid teammates have had a negative impact on Vinicius’ chances of winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or,” Garcia claimed on Tuesday, according to the UK’s Team Talk.
“The Ballon d’Or winner is determined by a vote of 100 journalists, one from each of FIFA’s top 100 countries. The inclusion of Real Madrid players Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal in the top four candidates would have split Vinicius’ votes,” he explained to Requiem TV.
“I can guarantee that no one from Real Madrid or Manchester City knew the winner,” he added.
Garcia also expressed his displeasure with Real Madrid’s absence from the event. “I think Real Madrid were confident in their decision (that Vinicius was not the winner). Maybe the 0-4 El Clasico loss to Barcelona also had an impact. I’m not sure if Real Madrid were 100% aware of the fact that Vinicius didn’t win the Ballon d’Or when they made their decision,” he said, adding, ”I was very offended by Real Madrid’s absence.”