Hyderabad: Real Madrid’s act of boycotting the Ballon d’Or awards overshadowed the achievement of Spanish midfielder Rodri to bag the accolade. He became the first English Premier League player since 2008 to so. Cristiano Ronaldo was the previous EPL player to win the Ballon d’Or in his debut season for Manchester United.
Rodri also became the first Spanish player to be honoured with the award since 1960. However, Real Madrid’s act became the talking point in the football fraternity.
Real Madrid had eight nominees including Vinicius Jr. across all awards but all of them skipped the event in Paris.
Why did Real Madrid skip the event?
The club decided to skip the event as they understood that their forward Vinicius Jr. would not win the award despite being the bookmakers' favourite. According to a report by Reuters, the club cancelled their delegation’s plans to attend the ceremony at the last minute after getting to know that Vincius won’t get the award ahead of Spanish footballer Rodri and England’s Jude Bellingham.
Vinicius played a key role for the team in the last season helping them secure a La Liga and Champions League double. He led the club’s attacking unit throughout the season and clocked 21 goals and 11 assists across both competitions. His agility, pace and precision often caused trouble for defenders and he created goal-scoring opportunities frequently.
Vinicius continuing his stellar performance
After establishing himself as one of Europe’s most formidable forwards, Vinicius has continued his form this season as well. He has already plundered five goals and six assists in La Liga. He has also scored three goals in the Champions League so far. However, in the El Classico match against Barcelona recently, he looked far from his best and that also played a role in hampering his chances to win the prestigious award.
