- Manchester City midfielder Rodri is set to win the Ballon d’Or this evening
- Vinicius Junior was the hot favourite but appears to have narrowly missed out
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Protests have begun over Vinicius Junior‘s surprise Ballon d’Or snub with the winger refusing to attend the ceremony, believing the result is a foregone conclusion.
Vinicius appeared the hot favourite to take home the award in Paris this evening but Manchester City midfielder Rodri is now set to pip him in a shock twist.
The development has sparked fury at Real Madrid and the club’s large delegation, including numerous players and staff members, will boycott the lavish ceremony.
Attendees have expressed their own anger and one content creator, Luva de Pedreiro, was photographed holding up a Vinicius shirt on the red carpet.
Another blogger at the glitzy Theatre du Chatelet filmed the red chairs at the very front of the room, where the likes of Vinicius and Jude Bellingham would have sat.
However, the two seats closest to the centre aisle, which are believed to have been reserved for the two Madrid superstars, no longer had name tags attached.
This would seemingly confirm that the two players will not be in attendance, potentially leaving Madrid director Emilio Butragueno as the club’s sole representative.
Rodri was spotted arriving at the ceremony on crutches before he posed for snaps on the red carpet alongside his girlfriend Laura Iglesias.
In response to Madrid’s boycott, the organisers of the Ballon d’Or said in a statement: ‘No player and no club knows the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or yet.’
RMC reported that Madrid president Florentino Perez is furious with the decision, despite Los Blancos being set to win the Club of the Year award.
Journalist Jose Luis Sanchez claimed a 50-strong Madrid party was scheduled to travel, only for them to cancel the trip after discovering Vinicius would not win.
Sources at the club have labelled the snub ‘historic robbery,’ ESPN Brazil say.
Marca, meanwhile, have reported that Madrid insiders have declared ‘the Ballon d’Or no longer exists for us’.
A furious statement from Madrid to AFP said: ‘If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner.
‘As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.’
