Exactly 34 days ago, Spanish publication Marca announced that the decision had been made—Vinícius Júnior would be crowned the best footballer on the planet for the 2023/24 season. But on the day of the prestigious award ceremony, it seems we’re in for a complete twist. One by one, football insiders began dropping bombshells, revealing the following: the entire Real Madrid entourage has canceled their attendance at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where the ceremony will be held, after discovering that the winner is not their Vinícius! As a result, the entourage of 50 people from the Royal Club, who were expected at the Parisian event, will not be showing up. Neither Florentino Pérez, Carlo Ancelotti, nor Real’s nominees Vinícius, Bellingham, or Carvajal…🚨⚪️ Real Madrid sources: “If the award criteria rule out Vinicius as the winner, the same criteria must make Carvajal the winner. It is obvious UEFA do not respect Real Madrid. Real Madrid will not be where it is not respected.” @diarioas pic.twitter.com/yytG12yZVc— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) October 28, 2024 The club may be nicknamed “The Royal Club” due to its many European titles, with a reputation as the world’s greatest club, but this gesture by the Spanish giant is anything but classy. In fact, it’s quite petty, undignified, and shows a lack of respect toward a player like Rodri, who is reportedly set to receive the esteemed award. Real’s reaction resembles that of a spoiled brat when it doesn’t get what it wants. The news of Real’s decision to skip the ceremony was first reported by RMC Sports, and followed by many respectable French journalists.Vinicus Jr. set to win Ballon d’Or!It would be completely reasonable for Real Madrid’s official stance to be that the choice—though not yet formally announced—is unfair. However, for the European champion’s delegation to skip the gala event and not show respect for a footballing great like Rodri, who led Spain to the European title and helped City secure a fourth consecutive Premier League title… it’s an understatement to say that this will leave a lasting stain on Real Madrid’s reputation. Furthermore, the differences between Vinícius’s and Rodri’s seasons aren’t all that drastic.Vinicius Jr. supports Barcelona players just a few days after El Clasico batteringAfter the tough loss in El Clásico, Carlo Ancelotti (also a candidate for Coach of the Season) remarked that Flick’s assistant was not a gentleman, criticizing the way he celebrated Barcelona’s fourth goal with glee. The circumstances here may be different, but Real has also displayed zero gentlemanliness or sportsmanship. This is a club that still has Andriy Lunin as a candidate for best goalkeeper and Arda Güler for the Golden Boy award. It’s likely that, besides learning that Rodri will win the Ballon d’Or, the club also found out there will be no individual awards for Real Madrid players this year.##NAJAVA_MECA_8445261##
