“We won our Ballon d’Or on June 1st” - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti on Rodri winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti recently commented on Manchester City midfielder Rodri winning the Ballon d'Or. He was, however, quick to add that the UEFA Champions League (UCL) win last season was his side's Ballon d'Or.

Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior was widely expected to win the prestigious individual award. Multiple reports claimed that the Brazilian was on course to win the France Football award but in a late twist, Rodri took home the gong.

Real Madrid, subsequently, missed the award ceremony in Paris, attracting widespread criticism. Ahead of his side's UCL showdown against AC Milan, Ancelotti was asked about the Ballon d'Or, in reply to which he said (via Fabrizio Romano):

“Congrats to who won the Ballon d’Or, but it’s the past. We won our Ballon d’Or on June 1st. Our Ballon d’Or was the Champions League we won in London.”

While Vinicius won the UCL and LaLiga with Real Madrid last season, Rodri was successful on both club and country fronts. Apart from the Premier League title, he also helped Spain win Euro 2024.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti on Vinicius Junior's mindset after Ballon d'Or snub

Carlo Ancelotti was also quizzed about Vinicius Junior's mindset after failing to win the Ballon d'Or. He stressed that the Brazil international was not affected by the award snub and instead was concerned about the devastating floods in Central Eastern Spain.

He said (via Madrid Universal):

“He’s normal. He realises what is happening. Fortunately, we didn’t play on Saturday and Vinicius has trained well, like everyone else. Vinicius is sad, like us, but not because of the Ballon d’Or, but because he is looking at the situation in Valencia.”

Los Blancos have two wins and a defeat from their three UCL games this season, placing them 12th in the table. In LaLiga, on the other hand, they are nine points behind league leaders Barcelona in the second place.

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