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WHAT HAPPENED?
Various reports on Monday afternoon suggested that Vinicius Jr., hot favourite for the Ballon d’Or since the end of last season when Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League, is now convinced he has been snubbed. The outcome is believed to have left his club furious, and they now plan to boycott the event altogether.
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GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
According to Guillermo Rai, Real Madrid feel the Ballon d’Or voting criteria does not respect the club. As a response, they are now not expected to travel to Paris for the ceremony, and that means Vinicus Junior and Jude Bellingham will not be attending despite being among the main contenders.
DID YOU KNOW?
Although it has been reported that this is the first time that the winner has come into the Ballon d’Or ceremony blind – without the customary interview or photoshoot in advance of the announcement – it had been speculated in September that Vinicius was aware that he had won. A leaked voting list has also gone viral in the past 24 hours, showing the Brazilian in first place. But it may be that neither was genuine.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
If Vinicius, and presumably also Bellingham, hasn’t won, the most likely contender and new favourite is Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri off the back of his Premier League and Euro 2024-winning season.
