Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. faced a tough week as his team suffered a 0-4 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico, and he also missed out on winning the Ballon d’Or.
The Ballon d’Or result was particularly surprising to many, including Real Madrid, who opted not to attend the awards ceremony after learning that Rodri had won. ..Continue Reading
Vinicius had been considered a favorite to win the prestigious honor, especially after his standout 2023/24 season. Despite the setback against Barcelona, expectations remained high for the Brazilian’s success.
However, a report from Cadena SER recently revealed that Real Madrid was aware of Vinicius’ likely fate in the Ballon d’Or race before the Barcelona match.
According to the report, the club suspected as early as Friday that Vinicius might lose the award to Rodri.
The report further indicates that those close to Vinicius also sensed he might not win—not from any inside information, but from their intuition.
Though they anticipated this outcome, Real Madrid chose not to share their suspicions with Vinicius to avoid distracting him ahead of the critical clash with Barcelona.
In the end, Real Madrid’s discretion didn’t alter the outcome, as Barcelona ultimately dominated the match.
On Monday, Vinicius learned of the Ballon d’Or result, prompting him and Real Madrid to boycott the event in a show of solidarity with the Brazilian.
