Mladen Petric shows little understanding for the fact that Vinicius Junior did not travel to the Ballon d'Or gala. While Vinicius comes away empty-handed, Granit Xhaka celebrates a "huge success" with 16th place, according to Petric.
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- "It's incomprehensible and a shame that Real Madrid didn't show up," says blue Sport expert Mladen Petric after the ballot for the Ballon d'Or 2024.
- Vinicius Junior was considered one of the favorites for the trophy, but did not win it. Instead, the Spaniard Rodri took it.
- Petric is a supporter of the Ballon d'Or. Nevertheless, the event has recently come under criticism, and rightly so.
The Real Madrid squad did not appear at the Ballon d'Or. Vinicius Junior was considered the hottest contender for the prestigious award. However, it apparently leaked out before the event in Paris that the Brazilian would miss out. So the Madrilenians decided without further ado to stay away.
"It's incomprehensible and a shame that Real Madrid didn't show up," said Mladen Petric to blue Sport. "Of course, it was assumed that Viniciuis Junior would win the title, but others will decide and that has to be accepted. It shows that Vini is a bad loser."
"The choice of Messi 2023 left a pale aftertaste"
Petric is "generally" a supporter of the Ballon d'Or. In recent years, however, there has been repeated unrest and the event has "therefore rightly come under criticism". The blue Sport expert explicitly mentions last year's election of Lionel Messi as a prime example. The Argentinian jack-of-all-trades won, while the Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland, who "broke all the records you can break" in England, lost out. "That gave the Ballon d'Or a pale aftertaste."
Rodri or Vini Jr - both would have deserved it
However, Petric feels that Rodri's selection as the latest winner of the golden ball is correct - in his opinion, Vinicius Junior's victory would also have been correct. "No matter who would have won, it's the right decision. Both have played an outstanding season."
Granit Xhaka was also eligible for the award. The national team captain finished 16th in the rankings. "A huge success," says Petric, adding: "He's one of the 16 best players in the world. He has earned that."
