A major controversy has arisen around the Ballon d’Or selection for the past season. The award went to Rodri, which sparked outrage in Real Madrid and led to a boycott of the ceremony. None of the 50 planned club representatives traveled to Paris, even though the award for the best coach went to Carlo Ancelotti, and the best club award went to Real Madrid.##NAJAVA_MECA_8456867##Madrid fans expected their player Vinicius Junior to be in the top spot in the player category, and everything was ready for a big celebration. The Brazilian was convinced that the trophy would end up in his hands, and when he found out it wouldn’t, he reacted like a spoiled child. Instead of a reality check, the club, one of the world’s most prestigious not only for its trophies, embarrassed itself with its reaction. There was no official explanation for their absence in Paris, nor will there be. Real Madrid chose a “vow of silence” and decided that no one would comment on the recent events, according to AS.So, we’re left to wait until next year to see if Florentino Pérez and Vinicius will change their stance. This will likely depend on the voting results, which somehow reached Madrid before they were announced.“Vinicius ciao ciao“Nonetheless, the debate over who was the world’s best player last season was ongoing even before the Paris ceremony. Vinicius had his credentials for the award and was favored by many, but what worked against him was that for the past two years, the criteria have shifted away from solely statistics — primarily the number of trophies and goals — to include the overall impression according to 100 journalists who voted. Among other things, players’ on-field behavior and fair play were taken into account. And here, Vinicius didn’t particularly stand out…However, Vinicius had the support of the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner and his teammate, Karim Benzema. According to the Frenchman, Rodri lacks certain qualities needed to make a complete impression.”I have nothing against Rodri; he’s a good player. But when I’m sitting on the sofa watching football, Rodri doesn’t do anything that makes me say, ‘Wow,’” Benzema stated.Nevertheless, the Manchester City star and Spanish international is one of the few midfielders to receive this prestigious recognition, and the first classic “no. 6” since Matthias Sammer.🌕🗣️ Karim Benzema: “I have nothing against Rodri, he’s a good player, but I’m sitting on my couch watching TV and Rodri doesn’t do anything that makes you say ‘wow’.” “Vinicius has done it to me more than once, so it’s a bit of a shame because he deserved the Ballon d’Or.””I… pic.twitter.com/OVSKrDvPJW— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 30, 2024
