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One of the greats of the game of football Cristiano Ronaldo slammed one of the most prized awards in this field, the Ballon d’Or. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner called the decision to snub Vinicius Junior of the award “unfair”. Earlier this year, with Read Madrid’s Vinicius Jr missing out the award, Manchester City midfielder Rodri was awarded with the prestigious prize in October.
While Rodri helped City lift its fourth Premier League title and lead Spain to Euro 2024 win, Vinicius Jr guided Madrid to record-extending 15th Champions League title. Despite Vinicius' immense contribution, he was snubbed of the Ballon d’Or title, marring controversy. However, he finished at second place after Rodri, but his snub left whole of Real Madrid community disappointed, leading to them snubbing the award ceremony.
It was unfair: Cristiano Ronaldo on Vinicius being snubbed from Ballon d’Or
Months after the controversy, former Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo reignited it as he spoke at length during the 2024 Global Soccer event, hosted at the Palm in Dubai on Friday. Ronaldo minced no words as he went onto question the legitimacy of Rodri’s Ballon d’Or win. "In my opinion, he (Vinícius Jr.) deserved to win the Ballon d'Or. It was unfair," Ronaldo said during the ceremony.
"I'll say it in front of everybody. They gave it to Rodri, he deserved it too, but I think they should've given it to Vinícius because he won the UCL and scored a goal in the final. When you deserve the award, you should give them the award," Ronaldo added. Ronaldo also took the opportunity to praise the Globe Soccer Awards, suggesting they maintain a more transparent and merit-based approach. "This is why I love Globe Soccer Awards, as they are honest. Vinícius Jr. clearly deserved to be the winner," he added.
