Franck Ribery mocks 2024 Ballon d’Or result on Instagram after Rodri wins award ahead of Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr.
Franck Ribery has hit out at Ballon d’Or after Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior finished second behind Manchester City's Rodri for this year's award. France Football held the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday (October 28).
Up until the day of the event, Vinicius seemed the frontrunner to clinch the award while facing stern competition from Rodri. The Brazilian winger had played an instrumental role in Real Madrid's LaLiga and Champions League double last season, along with the Supercopa de Espana. He scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 appearances across competitions, ending the term as the club's top goalscorer.
Meanwhile, Rodri's Premier League victory with Manchester City and Euro 2024 triumph with Spain aided his case. The midfielder was a marquee player for both club and country last season.
Before the ceremony last night, it was revealed that Real Madrid's entourage had decided to skip the awards after discovering that Vinicius lost out to Rodri. This caused substantial outrage in the footballing world, with many rallying to the Brazilian's support.
Bayern Munich legend Franck Ribery has also reacted to the 24-year-old's snub as he mocked the Ballon d’Or award. The Frenchman posted a story on his official Instagram account, writing 'Ballon d’Or,' accompanied by three laughing emojis.
Vinicius' Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham finished third in the rankings, followed by Dani Carvajal and Manchester City's Erling Haaland.
The 24-year-old winger has had an excellent start to the 2024-25 campaign with Los Blancos, contributing eight goals and seven assists in 15 games across competitions.
"I'll do it 10x if I have to" - Vinicius Junior breaks silence after 2024 Ballon d’Or snub
Once the Ballon d’Or results were announced, a frustrated Vinicius Junior took to social media and shared a defiant message after being snubbed for the award.
The Real Madrid attacker insisted that he would relentlessly replicate what he did last season for the foreseeable future until he's given the Ballon d'Or. He wrote on X:
"I'll do it 10x if I have to, They're not ready."
Kylian Mbappe, who scored 44 goals in 48 games last season, finished sixth in the standings, followed by Lautaro Martinez who won the Scudetto with Inter Milan and the Copa America with Argentina.
Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal finished eighth after an extraordinary campaign with Barcelona and his Euro 2024 triumph with Spain. Toni Kroos, who retired in the summer, followed in ninth place while Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane finished 10th.