Islamabad, Oct 29: Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri was given the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday after winning a fourth successive Premier League title and Euro 2024, but Real Madrid boycotted the event.
It came as a shock to many when the organizers decided to give the best player award to the midfielder; Vinicius Junior the hero of Real Madrid Liga and Champions League triumphs.
Hours before the ceremony in Paris, the Spanish club said it would not send a delegation for the ceremony at Chatelet Theatre because the French magazine’s disrespect of Vinicius.
Regarding the question of Real’s absence in his post-win interview, Rodri was diplomatic about it.
‘They have their decision, they didn’t want to be here for their reasons’, he said. But so did Nadal and he just stuck to what he could control, which was his club and his team-mates.
While the French organizers attempted to keep the winner’s identity a secret this year, the news somehow got out before the celebrations.
Earlier, Barcelona and Spain striker Aitana Bonmati had become the first two-time women’s Ballon d’Or winner having inspired her club to a treble of domestic honors and a first ever continental championship whilst also helping her nation to secure the inaugural Nations League.
It began much earlier than the ceremony, Spanish and European champions Real said it was not Vinicius, then the winner may only be his teammate Carvajal.
As the Brazilian, Carvajal too clinched a header in the 2-0 Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
Vinicius contributed 24 goals and 11 asist for Madrid in the 39 matches of all competitions that he played and helped the club to three titles in the last season.
“If the award criteria don’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” Real Madrid told AFP.
The organisers, the Amaury group which owns the L’Equipe sports daily and France Football magazine, denied to AFP that the name of the successor to last year’s men’s winner Lionel Messi had leaked and insisted that “no player or club” knew in advance who had won.
His target helped City clinch the 2023 Champions League title but he has also scored crucial goals for Spain including those that earned a Euro 2024 last-16, equalizer against Georgia.
Bonmati, 26, follows her Barcelonan team-mate Alexia Putellas to become only the second woman to win Ballon d’Or twice since its inception in 2018.
