Vinicius Junior goes home empty-handed after the Ballon d'Or. Although: He hadn't even traveled to the event in the first place. On Monday evening, the Brazilian commented on the elections.
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- "Football politics", wrote Vinicius Junior's team-mate Eduardo Camavinga after the Ballon d'Or 2024 elections.
- The entire Real Madrid delegation stayed away from the event because they apparently got wind that Rodri and not Vini Jr. would be collecting the prize.
- The football magazine "11Freunde" writes that Real Madrid's absence shows a bad loser.
The 2024 Ballon d'Or is in the bag. Man City player Rodri takes the golden ball in the men's competition, while his compatriot Aitana Bonmatí wins the women's competition.
The choice in the men's competition is the main talking point. Many would have liked to have seen Vinicius Junior as the shining winner, but instead the nimble Madrilenean did not even travel to Paris and it seems as if he and his employer Real Madrid are playing insulted liver sausage.
"Football politics", wrote Eduardo Camavinga with a big red X on the "X" platform after the elections. For him, Vinicius is the best player in the world. Toni Kroos also posted pictures with the Brazilian winger on his Instagram channel. Kroos writes: "The best."
There's no denying that Vinicius played a strong season. He is also aware of this himself. In order to lift the Ballon d'Or one day, he wants to repeat his performances. "Then I'll just do it ten times. You're not ready for it," he writes on "X".
Real Madrid's absence does not go down well
As good as Vini Jr. may be, the player's and club's boycott campaign has gone down less well with the media.Bild" writes of "disrespect" and adds: "That's what the royals want to be? No, in this case it's the pathetic ones!"
"Veni, vidi non Vini", writes the football magazine "11Freunde". The boycott of Real Madrid "sounds a bit like kindergarten. And in a way it is. After all, the award is based on a free choice by a hundred journalists - and not a conspiracy against Real Madrid players. Yesterday showed that the royals are pretty bad losers".
The French media outlet "L'Équipe" writes not only of an "electoral defeat" but also of a "moral defeat" for Real Madrid. The club lacked class. It had trampled on the sporting value of paying respect to the winners.
