Surprise about Vinicius losing the Golden Ball
Spanish press reports stated that Real Madrid knew that its Brazilian star Vinicius Junior had lost the Ballon d'Or award long before the ceremony held on Monday evening, October 28, in the French capital, Paris. Although all indications were pointing towards the Brazilian Vinicius Junior winning the Ballon d'Or for 2024, after the great achievements he made with the royal club during the past season 2023-2024, it ultimately went to Manchester City star Rodri. Spanish radio "Cadena Ser" said that Real Madrid knew that its Brazilian star Vinicius Junior had lost the Ballon d'Or award long before the Clasico match against Barcelona, and not as some press reports stated that it knew a few hours before the ceremony. The report stated that Real Madrid had doubts on Friday, the day before the match against traditional rival Barcelona, in the summit of the eleventh round of the Spanish League, about the possibility of Vinicius losing to Rodri in the race for the Ballon d'Or title. The report indicated that Real Madrid officials preferred not to inform the player of the news of losing the Ballon d'Or award, so as not to lose his focus before the Clasico match against Barcelona, but the decision of the Royal Club's management did not have any significant impact as the completely renewed Barcelona team outperformed them, with four clean goals at their home stadium, Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid received a lot of criticism for not attending the Ballon d'Or ceremony after their Brazilian star Vinicius Junior lost the award to Rodri.
