AFP/FRANCK FIFE
Manchester City player, Rodri (right), kisses the 2024 Ballon d’Or trophy after receiving it from former President and former Liberian player, George Weah, at an event at the Theater du Chatelet, Paris, France, Tuesday (29/10/2024) early morning WIB.
The Ballon d’Or award for Rodri as the best player in the world according to France Football and UEFA was marred by controversy. Real Madrid boycotted because they felt their player, Vinicius Jr, was more deserving of the award.
The evening at the Theater du Chatelet, Paris, Tuesday (29/10/2024) early morning WIB, should have been the most memorable day for Rodrigo Hernandez alias Rodri, Manchester City’s defensive midfielder. His long struggle resulted in the highest individual award for a football player in the world.
However, Rodri received the award without the presence of the Real Madrid club. The 15-time Champions League champions chose not to attend the awards ceremony after learning that their striker, Vinicius Jr, who was initially favored to win, was only ranked second.
Also read: From Rodri, Football Returns to Normality
Rodri’s success story was also covered by the controversy of Vinicius, who believed he did not win because of racism. As is known, Vini, who is black, is often the victim of racial attacks from opposing players or supporters.
After learning that Real were boycotting the awards show, via account X, Vinicius stated, ”I would do it 10 times if necessary. They weren’t ready.”
X VINICIUS ACCOUNT SCREENSHOT
Vinicius Junior‘s statement on the X account in Portuguese means, “I will do it 10 times if necessary. They weren’t ready.” This statement was uploaded after Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d’Or award.
Vinicius’ management staff, told Reuters, that the statement referred to his fight against racism in football. He believes that the world of football is not ready to accept the existence of players who dare to go against the system.
In reality, the Ballon d’Or judging involves many people from various backgrounds. The Ballon d’Or is judged by an international jury consisting of journalists, one from each of FIFA’s top 100 ranked countries.
Each journalist was asked to rank the 10 best players in the world from a list of 30 players selected by the editorial staff of France Football, the editorial staff of L’Équipe, the best jury from the previous edition—Costa Rica for the men’s Ballon d’Or and South Africa for the women’s Ballon d’Or— as well as UEFA ambassadors Luís Figo for men and Nadine Kessler for women. The higher the ranking, the greater the points. The first rank gets 15, then the ranks below 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.
Read also: Rodri, Modesty of the Exemplary Servant
The winner is the player who gets the most total points. It’s almost impossible to engineer. There are three main criteria for assessing the Ballon d’Or award. First is individual performance and character; second, team appearance and achievements; and third, classy attitude and fair play.
A number of parties believe that the real reason why Vinicius did not win was more due to the jury’s split in points because there were four other Real players in the top 10. They are Jude Bellingham (3), Dani Carvajal (4), Kylian Mbappe (6), and Toni Kroos (9).
AFP/PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU
Real Madrid striker, Vinicius Junior (left), was tackled by Barcelona defender, Jules Kounde, during the Spanish League match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, October 26 2024. Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d’Or because Vinicius did not win the award.
It’s a shame Vinicius didn’t attend the awards. Moreover, with his statement, he could be accused of playing the “race card” and playing the victim, which could backfire in his efforts to fight racism.
The boycott by Real Madrid also goes against the spirit of sportsmanship and does not respect Rodri, who deserves to win the Ballon d’Or. In sports, including football, reality does not always match expectations. Just as we can be euphoric with victory, we must also be able to be brave in accepting defeat. That’s sportsmanship.
