Even though his player won the prestigious Ballon d’Or, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged that Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. would have been a worthy recipient of the award as well.
Following months of speculation and anticipation, the Ballon d’or was awarded to Spain’s Rodri, and the news has made waves across the football world.
While Rodri, who had an outstanding season, was the critics’ favourite due to the media voting system, many football fans, especially on social media, felt that Vinicius was the rightful owner.
It seems that Vinicius and his club, Real Madrid, shared those sentiments, as they chose to boycott the gala, despite Carlo Ancelotti being named Coach of the Year and the club winning the Club of the Year award.
Speaking after the event, Guardiola addressed the controversy. While he expressed happiness for Rodri’s victory, he also admitted that Vinicius, who finished second, would have been a desrving winner.
However, Guardiola subtly criticized Real Madrid‘s decision to miss the award ceremony, contrasting it with Erling Haaland’s gracious acceptance of his second-place finish behind Lionel Messi in a previous edition of the Ballon d’Or.
“If Vini would have won the Ballon d’Or, it would have been more than well deserved,” Guardiola said in an interview, according Fabrizio Romano. “Like last season with Erling Haaland… and he didn’t win. Erling was there, he was happy, and congratulate Messi and OK, let’s try to do next season!”
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