Almost a month after Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or over Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has finally explained why the club decided to not send any representatives to the gala. The boss slammed UEFA, who co-organized the event with France Football, and defended their position.
“It’s clear that this year the Ballon d’Or should have gone to a Real Madrid player, regardless of the criteria used, whether it was Vinicius, our captain Carvajal, or Bellingham. It’s very difficult to explain the final result. UEFA communicated that nothing would change with their involvement in the award, but, goodness gracious, for nothing to have changed… Surprising things have happened, and I want to tell you about them,” he said during the club’s general assembly, according to Relevo.
“First of all, UEFA has altered the voting system and the points that each journalist can give to each player. The maximum has increased from six to fifteen. And they’ve included journalists that nobody knows and from countries with populations of less than a million. Without the votes of four of them (Finland, Albania, Uganda, and Namibia), Vinicius would have won,” he added.
Relevo also informed that Real Madrid‘s coach Carlo Ancelotti, who won as best men’s coach of the year, as well as Jude Bellingham, who had brand commitments, were going to assist the gala, which took place in Paris, but Perez stopped them.
However, Perez said that his complaints have nothing to do with Rodri. “Last season he achieved the treble with his club and scored in the Champions League final. However, he didn’t even make it to the podium. Rodri is a fantastic footballer and, on top of that, he’s from Madrid. He has all our affection. But that has nothing to do with it,” he stated.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or was controversial
Rodri, who is currently recovering from an ACL injury, won the Ballon d’Or after being a key player for Spain and Manchester City. He won the UEFA Euro, while being the MVP of the tournament. He also lifted the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles.
However, it was expected that a Real Madrid player would have taken the award. While Vinicius Junior’s Brazil was eliminated from the Copa America early, he was the MVP of the Champions League and LaLiga winner. In all competitions, he scored 26 goals and provided 11 assists.