Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has finally congratulated Rodri for winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but with a thin-veiled dig on the award.
We reported earlier that Real Madrid boycotted the 2024 Ballon d’Or award ceremony after they learned late that Vinicius Jr would not win the award.
Sources close to the club revealed Carlo Ancelotti and the club’s president, Florentino Perez, decided to call off their planned trip to Paris for the event following the reports that Vinicius Jr is not the designated winner.
According to the club, the organizers of the award maliciously colluded with UEFA, who are esteemed partners of the award, to deny Vinicius the award.
They insisted that the snub amounted to disrespect, hence the club’s decision to boycott the award in its entirety.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe was a joint winner of the Gerd Muller Award with Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane, but he was not present to receive the award, with only Harry Kane bagging the honor.
Carlo Ancelotti was named the Best Men’s Coach of the Year but was absent as well to receive his laurel. Manchester City forward Rodri won the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or Award, becoming the first Premier League and Spanish footballer to do so.
Carlo Ancelotti finally congratulates Rodri for winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or Award
Addressing the media ahead of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League match against AC Milan, Carlo Ancelotti congratulated Rodri, but with a thin-veiled dig on the award.
According to him, Real Madrid won their own Ballon d’Or on June 1st, not the one organized by France Football in Paris.
“Congrats to who won the Ballon d’Or, but it’s the past. We won our Ballon d’Or on June 1st,” Ancelotti said. Our Ballon d’Or was the Champions League we won in London.”
The 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or was the most divisive edition of the award. Football fans and analysts were never so divided on who was the rightful winner of the award.
While others gave it to Rodri after winning the 2024 Euros with Spain and the Premier League with Manchester City, others believe Vinicius Jr deserved it more due to his heroics in Real Madrid’s terrific UEFA Champions League and La Liga run last season.
Vincent Garcia, the Chief Editor of France Football, who is the organizers of the award, said it was a tight race in the voting result between Vinicius Jr and Rodri.
He added that Vinicius Jr failed to win the award due to three Real Madrid players—Vinicius Jr Jude Bellingham, and Dani Carvajal—making the top five in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
However, Real Madrid have vehemently opposed the narrative, insisting UEFA influenced the outcome of the award due to the simmering faceoff between the two parties.
Meanwhile, Vinicius Jr reacted to his Ballon d’Or snub, posting on social media that he is not deterred by the injustice but will continue with his top-level performances for club and country.
Also, sources close to the footballer revealed he believes that his fight against racism must have contributed to the ‘historic robbery.’
