Vinicius Junior, Ballon d’Or disappointment and Real Madrid’s angry reaction

On Sunday, less than 24 hours after the heavy blow of losing El Clasico 4-0 to Barcelona at the Bernabéu, another seismic shift took place at Real Madrid.

The order came from the highest ranks of the club to cancel Monday’s planned trip to Paris, where everyone expected Vinicius Junior to win the Ballon d’Or, among other things.

Real Madrid were told that this would not be the case, and that the winner would not be Dani Carvajal either. The defender, who won the European Championship with Spain last summer, was Los Blancos’ other major candidate.

At the club’s office they argued that if Vinicius Jr. would not win and they would be looking at the European Championship, Carvajal would have to be ahead of the rest, including another Madrid player, England’s Jude Bellingham.

But neither Vinicius Jr. nor Carvajal would ultimately lift the trophy, sparking outrage and anger in Madrid. As a result, no one from the club was at the event to see Rodri, another Spanish European Championship winner but a star for Premier League champions Manchester City, being crowned the world’s best footballer for 2023-2024.

Here, The Athletics takes you back to a terrible 48 hours for Vinicius Jr and Madrid.

No one at Real Madrid expected this outcome.

More than in previous years, great effort was made to maintain confidentiality and prevent the identity of the prize winners from leaking. Interviews and photo shoots that used to take place before the ceremony were postponed until afterward.

Although some reports in Spain indicated that Vinicius Jr. would be declared winner for the first time, The Athletics reported on Monday that neither Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr., nor most of the people working at France Football (the publication that created the award) knew the winner.

Previously, there was complete confidence in Madrid that Vinicius Jr. would lift the trophy.

“I think he will win the Ballon d’Or because of what he did last year, which helped us win the Champions League, not because of the three goals today,” Carlo Ancelotti said after the 24-year-old’s match on Tuesday . hat-trick inspired his team to a comeback win over Borussia Dortmund.

That hope was partly a consolation, a painkiller for Barcelona’s home game on Saturday, a result that put Hansi Flick’s side six points clear at the top of La Liga.

On Sunday morning, Vinicius Jr. However, I was told that he would not win the Ballon d’Or. It was a shock to him and everyone around him, even though in the weeks leading up to it they always insisted they didn’t know what would happen.

The player and his staff had prepared in detail for the trip, with about 30 traveling companions, including people from his agency, family and friends. Some of his guests had traveled from Brazil specifically for this purpose. An afterparty was also planned for the event on Monday.

This was stated by several sources who, like others in this article, wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships The Athletics that Nike, Vinicius Jr’s main sports sponsor, had prepared special shoes to celebrate an eventual victory. In addition, they had organized an event in Madrid where the footballer, people from his environment and influencers would be present. Nike has been contacted for comment.

Vinicius Jr. celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal in last season’s Champions League final (Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images)

On Sunday there were hours of moments of tension and a long wait for a decision about what to do. Ultimately, Real Madrid’s board decided that there would be no trip to Paris. All parties agreed that this was the best approach after seeing the images of disappointment in Paris, where they would have gone in the hope that Vinicius Jr. would be the winner. Furthermore, France Football’s lack of communication, either with the club or the player, had irritated Madrid.

As evening turned on Sunday afternoon, many more people, including Ancelotti, were told by the club that they would not travel, despite the fact that a delegation of around 50 people would do so. That order came from above.

In a very difficult time, Vinicius Jr. comforted by the fact that the entire club agreed that they would not travel. As soon as the news reached his teammates, they sent him numerous messages of encouragement, as they would do in public after the gala.

The clearest came from Eduardo Camavinga: “FOOTBALL POLITICS. My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. I love you my brother,” the player wrote on X.

At one point, Emilio Butragueno, director of institutional relations, was scheduled to travel, but this too was ultimately ruled out on Monday. It meant Real Madrid had no one to collect the men’s club of the year award, and no one to receive when Ancelotti was named men’s coach of the year.

“It is not good for football that a club as important as Madrid and with so many fans worldwide is not present at such a gala,” Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente told Movistar.

“I was surprised, yes, because I had spoken to someone from Real Madrid who said they would come here at 1:30 p.m. and suddenly I am in the hotel and I am surprised by the news,” Luis Figo, Los Blancos legend and winner of the Ballon d’Or, Movistar said.

For the more observant, there was a clue on Monday morning: surprisingly, Real Madrid TV would be showing a film at the same time as the Ballon d’Or gala. The club’s website and social media also make no mention of the prizes received.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Real Madrid privately reported that the growing rumors were true.

“If the award criteria Vinicius Jr. not declare the winner, those same criteria should declare Carvajal the winner,” a club source said. The Athletics. “Since this has not been the case, it is clear that UEFA Ballon d’Or does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid is not where it is disrespected.”

A few minutes later, people from Vinicius Jr.’s agency confirmed The Athletics that they were in Madrid after being informed by the club and that they would not travel to Paris.

Club sources explained that they found out because Manchester City knew Rodri would be the winner, although sources briefed on the process claim this The Athletics that the information did not come from the English club.

Real Madrid were quick to point out that the name of the award is “Ballon d’Or-UEFA” as European football’s governing body is involved in organizing the event. The club and UEFA have been at odds since Madrid’s involvement in a proposed European Super League.

“I think there are problems between Real Madrid and UEFA, which have affected some things in the results,” former Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf told TNT Sports on the red carpet in Paris. “Vinicius Junior is the one who definitely deserves the prize. It’s a shame.”

It is worth noting that the prize is awarded based on a vote by 100 journalists.

As the afternoon progressed, the law of silence was introduced in Vinicius Jr.’s camp. Members of the team were asked not to speak to the press for a while.

At 6:30 p.m., a friend of Vinicius Jr. however, the first public response.

“But this award not falling into your hands only shows the mentality of those who are afraid of our presence,” wrote singer MC Maneirinho, who received likes from other friends and members of the agency. Something else was also highlighted from Valdebebas: the audience at the event shouted Vinicius Jr.’s name. in the seconds before Rodri’s name was declared the winner.

The day left Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr with one important question: what more does he need to do to lift the Ballon d’Or?

Winning the Champions League (involved in 11 goals in 10 matches, including one in the final), La Liga (involved in 21 goals in 26 matches, on average one every 89 minutes) and the Spanish Super Cup (hat-trick in the final against Barcelona) was not enough. So what would be?

(Top photo: Getty Images; design: John Bradford)