Why Vinicius didn’t win the Ballon d’Or

France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or organizer, revealed why Vinicius didn’t win.

After Vinicius lost the 2024 Ballon d’Or to Rodri, Real Madrid were furious. Thus, the Spanish Royal team boycotted the Ballon d’Or award ceremony in Paris to protest France Football magazine and UEFA.

After the award ceremony, France Football magazine editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia explained why Vinicius lost to Rodri for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Vincent Garcia: “Bellingham and Carvajal in the top 5 hurt Vinicius. That cost him points. It summed perfectly Real Madrid’s season, when 3 or 4 great players and judges shared decisions. Rodri gained normally.

I was under immense pressure from Real Madrid, but I was always clear and fair. My quiet in response to Real Madrid’s questioning may have been too much. This is how I treat other clubs also.

We don’t the winner in advance this year. I assume everyone agreed this regulation, yet Real Madrid changed it at the last minute. Why?

France Football magazine’s failure to report individual scores also created concern. Only three criteria were given for Golden Ball voting: Individual performance, especially match-deciding. Collective accomplishments and titles follow. Class and sportsmanship promote fairness.

Vinicius was devastated when he thought he would win the Golden Ball. The Brazilian star was predicted to win by Marca and European newspapers for months. Many admirers posted the vote summary showing Vinicius ahead of Rodri on the last day before the award ceremony.

The Brazilian striker hosted a party in Madrid and promised to give each of his teammates a Rolex watch if he won the Golden Ball. Everything was reversed in the end. The Brazilian striker posted on his personal page: “I’ll try 10x harder if needed. They’re not ready to award me.”