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WHAT HAPPENED?
Last month, Real Madrid chose not to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, protesting the decision to award the 2024 prize to Manchester City midfielder Rodri instead of Vinicius. The Ballon d’Or is determined by votes from a panel of 100 international journalists, representing a wide range of countries. Recently, Perez expressed his discontent during Real Madrid’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), accusing the system of being unfair and questioned the qualifications of the journalists from Namibia, Uganda, Albania, and Finland, who voted in the process but overlooked Vinicius.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Perez suggested that the award should be managed independently and determined by respected individuals within the football community.
“Rodri is a great player, he’s from Madrid, and he has our affection,” Perez said on Sunday. “He deserved a Ballon d’Or, but not this one. He deserved it the year before. This year, the Ballon d’Or should have gone to a Real Madrid player: Vinicius, or our captain Dani Carvajal, or even Jude Bellingham.
“Some of [the voters] didn’t even include Vinicius in the top 10. Can anyone understand journalists not thinking Vinicius is one of the best in the world? Without Namibia, Uganda, Albania and Finland, Vinicius would have won the Ballon d’Or. And those countries didn’t even vote for Vinicius. Not one! The Finn, at least, has resigned. Personally, I think the Ballon d’Or should be organised independently, and the votes should be in the hands of well-known, prestigious people with a reputation in the football world.”
Perez’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Sheefeni Nikodemus, a Namibian journalist who addressed the issue on Cadena SER’s El Larguero program.
“Essentially, I suspect it’s just words from somebody who is frustrated, Mr Perez that is,” he said.
“If he feels like people from my country, and the other countries mentioned do not have a significant, vote because we are inferior people, I would just like to know, if I was from one of the leading football nations, and I disagreed with his opinion, what would his argument be?”
DID YOU KNOW?
Rodri accumulated 1,170 points in the final vote, narrowly surpassing Vinicius’ 1,129. Bellingham and Carvajal finished third and fourth respectively. Carlo Ancelotti was awarded the Manager of the Year award and Real Madrid won the Team of the Year award for securing a La Liga and Champions League double.
WHAT NEXT FOR VINICIUS?
Vinicius has picked up a hamstring injury and will be sidelined for the next three to four weeks. The Brazilian will miss the trip to Anfield on Wednesday when Los Blancos play Liverpool in the Champions League.
