UEFA release statement on Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid amid reports of comments from President on Ballon d'Or snub
UEFA have released a statement following last week's Ballon d'Or ceremony, which was not attended by Real Madrid players and manager. The LaLiga giants decided not to attend the ceremony after learning that Vinicius Jr. would not win the award.
Real Madrid won the 'Team of the Year' accolade, while Carlo Ancelotti was named the 'Manager of the Year,' and Kylian Mbappe shared the top scorer prize with Bayern Munich's Harry Kane. However, the LaLiga giants only sent a delegate to pick up the awards in Paris.
After registering 35 goal contributions in 39 games last season, and being a catalyst in Los Blancos winning a LaLiga and Champions League double, Vinicius Jr was largely touted to win the Ballon d'Or this year. However, Manchester City linchpin Rodri took away the coveted prize.
A report from Relevo stated that President Aleksander Ceferin was allegedly behind denying Vinicius the award and handing it to Rodri. But UEFA have now released a statement clarifying that they didn't make any remarks regarding the issue. As per Sport, the statement read:
"We categorically deny the claims circulating about UEFA's alleged comments on the Ballon d'Or result. Neither UEFA nor it's president have made any statements or comments on the result of the result selection. Such reports are totally unfounded and do not reflect reality."
UEFA also stated that they would take legal action against any party involved in the dissemination of any false information.
Earlier, as per Relevo, an anonymous senior UEFA executive was told that Madrid thought that the Ballon d'Or had lost its credibility. In response to the statement, the anonymous executive told the outlet (via Forbes):
"If they say something like that, that says everything about them. And it does not deserves any further comment from us."
The 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony received mixed reactions from the football world.
Manchester City launch €150 million bid for Real Madrid target: Reports
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have reportedly launched a massive €150 million bid for Real Madrid's Rodrygo in the coming transfer window, as per Fichajes.net. The Brazilian attacker is one of Pep Guardiola's prime targets, and he has been impressed by Rodrygo's dribbling skills and pace.
The 23-year-old's current contract with Carlo Ancelotti's side expires in the summer of 2028. He joined the Santiago Bernabeu outfit in July 2019 from Brazilian side Santos and later signed a five-year contract extension in 2023.
Since joining Real Madrid, the Brazilian attacker has bagged 57 goals and 43 assists in 229 appearances across competitions. However, with the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo has fallen down in the pecking order, starting only six LaLiga matches for Los Blancos this season.