“They feel so entitled” - Lionel Messi’s former Argentine teammate fires shots at Real Madrid following Vinicius Jr Ballon d'Or tantrum
Lionel Messi's former teammate Sergio Kun Aguero took a dig at Real Madrid following their decision to skip the Ballon d'Or gala after Manchester City's Rodri won ahead of Vinicius Jr. Aguero's statements also came after Vinicius took a supposed dig at France Football after his snub.
In the months leading up to the Ballon d'Or ceremony on October 28, it was widely reported that Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. would be winning the award.
However, hours ahead of the ceremony, reports claimed Rodri won the award ahead of him. The Los Blancos delegation did not attend the event, while multiple players, including Vini Jr, spoke up about his snub.
After Rodri received the Ballon d'Or, Vini Jr. took to X, writing:
"I'll do it 10x if I have to. They're not ready."
Following Real Madrid boycotting the event and Vinicius's comments on social media, former Argentina striker Sergio Kun Aguero spoke about the incident on his Twitch stream. He said (via Madrid Universal):
"Well deserved. Rodri is the best player in the World. Football is for everyone, not only Real Madrid. They feel so entitled."
Aguero's support for Rodri is not surprising, considering the two were teammates at Manchester City. He shared the pitch with Rodri in 39 games at the club between 2019 and 2021.
The Argentine striker played for the Sky Blues between 2011 and 2021, recording 260 goals and 65 assists in 390 outings across competitions. Aguero retired from professional football in 2021 after a seven-month stint with Barcelona.
Lionel Messi backed Lautaro Martinez to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or ahead of Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr.
In an interview with TyC Sports earlier this month, Lionel Messi backed his compatriot Lautaro Martinez to win the Ballon d'Or. Messi said (via OneFootball):
“Lautaro deserves the Ballon d’Or more than anyone else. He had a spectacular year, he scored in the final, and he was the top scorer in the Copa America.”
Lionel Messi's compatriot Lautaro Martinez eventually stood seventh in the rankings. The Argentine forward was never a major favorite to win the Ballon d'Or, with Real Madrid stars Vini Jr, Jude Bellingham and Manchester City's Rodri leading the pack.
However, he had a stellar 2023-24 season with both Inter and Argentina. Martinez won the Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana with Internazionale, alongside the 2024 Copa America with Argentina.
The Argentine was also the top scorer in the Serie A (24 goals) and Copa America (five goals). In 54 outings for club and country, Martinez recorded 35 goals and eight assists across competitions.