"He deserved a Ballon d'Or… but not this year" - Florentino Perez makes bold comments on Rodri beating Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid players
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has made bold comments on Rodri beating Vinicius Jr and other players to win the Ballon d'Or. Notably, Los Blancos had seven players nominated for the coveted award after they clinched the LaLiga title and the Champions League.
Vinicius Jr was a big part of their success last season, and he was widely recognized as the favorite to win the award. However, the Spanish giants learned that he would not win it, which led to their decision to snub the award ceremony, despite being declared the best men's club of the year.
This morning (November 24), Real Madrid president Florentino Perez spoke to the club's Ordinary General Assembly of Representative Members. Aside from discussing other issues, he spoke about the Ballon d'Or, claiming that Rodri should not have won the award in 2024 (via Madrid Universal):
"The Ballon d'Or? It was an event that UEFA organised for the first time in history with France Football and L'Equipe. First of all, I want to make it clear that Rodri is a great footballer (applause in the room) and, furthermore, he is from Madrid, he has all our love. He deserved a Ballon d'Or... but not this year, but last year. This one was for a Madrid player."
Perez also spoke about Vinicius Jr directly, adding:
"Vinicius, you’re the best player in the world. I want you to know that the Real Madrid fans are proud of you, for everything you have had to endure in many unfair times and moments, all this has made you the player you are today."
Vinicius Jr will hope he can impress even further this season and set himself up for the award next year.
Rodri speaks about Real Madrid's Ballon d'Or snub after Vinicius Jr failed to clinch award
Rodri has spoken about Real Madrid's decision to snub the Ballon d'Or award gala after they learned that Vinicius Jr would not win it. The Manchester City midfielder managed to get just 41 more points than the Madrid winger, which was enough to clinch it.
Speaking to COPE radio earlier this month, Rodri said (via ESPN):
"Why would it hurt me [that Vinicius wasn't there]? It was my moment, to enjoy with my family. The last thing I'd be thinking about is people who weren't there, and didn't want to participate."
Rodri is currently out of contention due to an ACL injury that could keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. This will certainly limit his chances of retaining the award, giving Vinicius and other Real Madrid players a bigger hope of winning it.