Vinicius Jr believes his fight against racism cost him Ballon d'Or award as new statement issued

Vinicius Jr has a theory on why he was pipped to the 2024 Ballon d’Or award by Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Vinicius Jr reportedly believes his fight against racism has contributed to him being overlooked for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.

The Real Madrid star finished second in the rankings for the award, which was claimed by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri in Paris.

Having anticipated that he would not be claiming the prize, Vinicius and Real abandoned their plans to attend and proceeded to boycott the ceremony on Monday evening.

Carlo Ancelotti did not collect his award for best coach, while Real also claimed the Team of the Year prize but the hosts merely congratulated them and moved on.

Immediately after Rodri was announced as the winner by George Weah, a flurry of Real players responded with statements showing their teammate with praise.

Vinicius himself then weighed in, writing: “I will do it 10 times if I have to. They’re not ready.”

The 10-word message on social media came amid reports Vinicius has organised a party and promised his Real teammates a special gift.

But according to Reuters, the post was referring to his activism against racism. The outlet spoke to the former Flamengo forward’s management, who believe his fight against discrimination led to him not winning the most coveted individual prize in world football.

A member of his management is quoted as saying, “the football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system”.

Vinicius has suffered horrible racist abuse in Spain on a number of occasions, with at least two individuals hit with convictions.

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

Meanwhile, former Real midfielder Clarence Seedorf has his own theory on why Vinicius did not win – claiming that it was as a result of a dispute between Real and UEFA.

“I already voted almost a year ago and I think Vinicius deserved this award,” Seedorf told TNT Sports Brasil at the ceremony, as per the Daily Mail.

“It seems that there is something between Real Madrid and UEFA that seems to be unresolved.”

“The problems between Real Madrid and UEFA should be kept outside of these matters. It’s a shame.”

Jude Bellingham came third, with Dani Carvajal finishing fourth. Although he posted about Vinicius, the Spaniard congratulated compatriot Rodri in a phone call.