After the 2024 Ballon d’Or went to Manchester City’s midfielder Rodri instead of Real Madrid’s forward Vinicius Jr ., many voices in soccer have been vocal about their disappointment in the results. Including recently retired Toni Kroos and Argentina ‘s forward Lautaro Martinez.
Martinez, who ended up in seventh place for the award, told DANZ (via Fabrizio Romano) that he was disappointed in the results. “To be honest, I was expecting more than 7th position at the Ballon d’Or. Sometimes at these awards they are unfair,” the Argentine said.
Lautaro won the Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer and netting the only goal in the final. He also won Serie A with Inter, again as the league’s top scorer. Despite these achievements, he placed behind Kylian Mbappe (6), Erling Haaland (5), Dani Carvajal (4), Jude Bellingham (3), Vinicius (2), and Rodri.
Meanwhile, Kroos, who placed ninth among the 30 nominees, also expressed his discontent. In a comment under Romano’s Instagram post, which asked followers what they would change about the list, he replied: “Where do we start?” He also shared a picture with Vinicius captioned “The Best,” clearly referencing the Brazilian’s snub.
Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid reacts during El Clasico (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Vinicius also reacted to the fact that he ended up in second place with a post on X: “I’ll do it 10x times if I have to. They’re not ready.” Other former and current Real Madrid stars, such as Karim Benzema, have also weighed in the results.
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Benzema: ‘It’s not just this year, it was last year too’
During an appearance on El Chiringuito, Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2022, said: “I don’t want to talk about France or France Football. It’s not just this year, [it was] last year too,” seemingly implying that Lionel Messi’s 2023 award wasn’t deserved, despite winning the World Cup.
“He’s a player who has always made a lot of effort. It’s not just about scoring goals. In every game, Vinicius was decisive last year. There is nobody else who deserves it more than Vinicius,” Benzema insisted.
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Vinicius snubbed in 2024 Ballon d'Or: Who was the last Brazilian to win the award?
While he said he has “nothing against Rodri,” who is a “good player,” he added that he isn’t a player that “do things that make me say ‘pfff’. Vinicius has done it more than once.” However, to him, Vinicius is a “good guy, he’s going to work, and one day he’ll win it.”
