Manchester City’s Rodri emerged as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, but Real Madrid’s absence at the ceremony over Vinicius Jr’s loss cast a shadow on the event.
Real’s shock boycott came as their star, Vinicius, was passed over in favour of Rodri, with Madrid officials stating that the outcome disrespected the club.
According to Manchester Evening News, Guardiola refrained from openly criticising Madrid’s stance but subtly referenced Erling Haaland’s similar disappointment last year.
“Erling was fifth this year, which is magnificent,” he noted, adding, “Last season, he won the Treble and scored over 50 goals. Even being there, you have to be happy.”
Pep Guardiola talking about the Ballon Dor and saying all the right things.
Watch, listen, and learn a thing or two @realmadrid #Pep #ReInventingTheGame pic.twitter.com/E5gALGHiIk
— The Pep (@GuardiolaTweets) October 29, 2024
Meanwhile, Mirror reported that Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football, attributed Vinicius Jr’s loss partly to Real’s own players.
He pointed out that Real had four players among the top 30, with both Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal also ranking high.
“Vinicius surely suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top five because, mathematically, that took some points away from him,” Garcia explained.
🗣️”Au moment où le Real a pris sa décision, je ne suis pas sûr qu’il n’y avait pas une part de bluff.”
Le rédacteur en chef de France Football, Vincent Garcia, est revenu sur l’absence de la délégation du Real Madrid au théâtre du Châtelet.#EDS #BallonDor #Vinicius pic.twitter.com/sKG8KbYTRU
— L’ÉQUIPE du soir (@lequipedusoir) October 28, 2024
The Ballon d’Or process, voted on by 100 journalists worldwide, had previously been criticised for prioritising Messi in 2023 over Haaland, despite the latter’s stellar season.
This year, Guardiola acknowledged the complexities of individual awards: “Vinicius? Maybe. But it’s 100 journalists around the world… that’s why football is nice.”
In a scathing response to the snub, Real Madrid officials claimed both Vinicius and Carvajal deserved the award, labelling the process disrespectful to the club.
“If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” they told AFP.
