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WHAT HAPPENED?
Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr were left stunned on Monday after discovering the Brazilian had missed out on winning the Ballon d’Or despite a season that yielded La Liga and Champions League titles. Los Blancos subsequently boycotted the awards ceremony in Paris as Manchester City and Spain star Rodri was crowned the best male player on the planet. Vinicius Jr has since broken his silence after failing to win the award in a defiant post on social media. He wrote on X: “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”
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AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Vinicius Jr broke down in tears back in March when he was quizzed on the racial abuse that has been hurled in his direction on countless occasions throughout his career so far and is said to be near “breaking point” over the issue. The Brazilian has already called for Spain to be stripped of hosting the 2030 World Cup if racist abuse continues in the country and has called on racists to be “sent straight to jail.” Vinicius has also sent his support to Barcelona players Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde after the trio were targeted by racist insults during El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
Vini Jr’s management staff told Reuters that the Real Madrid star was referring to his fight against racism when speaking out on the final Ballon d’Or vote. His team added: “The football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system.”
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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR VINICIUS JR
Vinicius Jr will hope to channel his frustrations in the best way possible when Real Madrid return to action on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti’s side take on Valencia in La Liga and will aim to bounce back after a 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona last time out.
