It’s safe to say that Vinicius Junior is very angry after missing out on the 2024 Ballon d’Or to Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri Hernandez. Real Madrid opted to boycott the awards ceremony upon hearing that their man was not victorious – a decision that was criticised by many.
Real Madrid feel incredibly disappointed to have not added another Ballon d’Or winner, with what would have been a second in three years (after Karim Benzema in 2022). To add to their woes, Diario AS say that Vinicius’ snub could end up having a knock-on effect for his future.
Saudi Arabia have strongly registered their interest in Vinicius in the last six months, and club officials are believed to be fearing that the Ballon d’Or snub could make it more likely for the Brazilian superstar to be swayed into leaving the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, this would surely be unlikely – if anything Vinicius is more likely to want to stay at Real Madrid and earn many more shots at winning his first Ballon d’Or.