Ballon d’Or Organizers Set To Snub Vinicius, Give Rodri 2024 Award

Real Madrid winger, Vinicius Junior, will not win the 2024 Ballon d’Or in what is a fresh twist.

Vinicius and his team-mates have cancelled their flight to Paris for Monday’s event.

Sources told ESPN that they they believe Manchester City midfielder Rodri will receive the award.

Vinícius, 24, was a leading contender to win the 2024 men’s prize after leading Madrid to a LaLiga and Champions League double last season.

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Sources told ESPN that the Brazil international and his fellow Madrid nominees — Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rüdiger, Federico Valverde, as well as Andriy Lunin, nominated for best goalkeeper, Arda Güler, nominated for the Kopa Trophy, and Carlo Ancelotti, nominated for best coach — would not be attending the event, organized by the magazine France Football, in collaboration with UEFA.

One club source considers it “unfair” and “a disgrace” that Vinícius would not win the award. Not attending the ceremony is a protest in the form of not travelling in order not to boycott what another club source considers “a historic robbery.”

Vinícius scored 15 goals in LaLiga last season, as well as six in the Champions League, including in Madrid’s semifinal win over Bayern Munich and in the final against Borussia Dortmund.

The feeling in Madrid in recent weeks had been that the forward was likely to claim the award.