RICHARLISON has slammed “embarrassing” Ballon d’Or chiefs for snubbing Vinicius Jr, claiming the “only person who lost is football.”
Real Madrid’s Brazilian superstar was widely tipped to be crowned the planet’s best footballer at last night’s glitzy event in Paris.
But hours before the ceremony kicked off, it emerged that Vinicius had actually finished second in the rankings.
The Ballon d’Or instead went to Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
And a furious Florentino Perez made sure Real boycotted last night’s bash in protest.
The clash has continued to rumble on, with Vinicius issuing a defiant message on social media.
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Various teammates at both club and international level have come out in support of the stricken winger.
And Brazil pal Richarlison has become the latest to back Vini as the rightful winner of the Ballon d’Or.
But the forward’s comments risk infuriating Man City — who play his club Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Richarlison said: “All of us who live football eagerly await the individual awards each season.
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“Today, all Brazilians who love football woke up expecting to see another player from our country win an award for the best in the world after so long.
“Unfortunately, for reasons that no one can understand, the award did not come.
“And don’t get me wrong, Rodri is a great player who deserves to be among the best.
“But Vini not winning the Ballon d’Or was embarrassing, and the only one who lost today was football.
“I remember Vini saying that his dream was to see the whole of Brazil cheering for him. And that day was today!
“You are a giant and the best in the world, kid! And no trophy will change that. Keep going and never shut up! We’re together.”
Earlier today, Ballon d’Or chief Vincent Garcia attempted to explain why Vinicius did not land football’s top individual gong.
He said: “Vinicius surely suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top five because, mathematically, that took away some points from him.
“This also sums up Real Madrid’s season, which took between three and four players, and the judges shared their decisions with them, which benefited Rodri.”
Ballon d’Or 2024 results
- 1: Rodri, Man City and Spain
- 2: Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid and Brazil
- 3: Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid and England
- 4: Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid and Spain
- 5: Erling Haaland, Man City and Norway
- 6: Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid and France
- 7: Lautaro Martinz, Inter Milan and Argentina
- 8: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain
- 9: Toni Kroos, Real Madrid and Germany
- 10: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England
- 11: Phil Foden, Man City and England
- 12: Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen and Germany
- 13: Dani Olmo, Barcelona and Spain
- 14: Ademola Lookman, Atalanta and Nigeria
- 15: Nico Williams, Athletic Bilbao and Spain
- 16: Granit Xhaka, Bayer Leverkusen and Switzerland
- 17: Federico Valverde, Real Madrid and Uruguay
- 18: Emi Martinez, Aston Villa and Argentina
- 19: Martin Odegaard, Arsenal and Norway
- 20: Hakan Calhanoglu, Inter Milan and Turkey
- 21: Bukayo Saka, Arsenal and England
- 22: Antonio Rudiger, Real Madrid and Germany
- 23: Ruben Dias, Man City and Portugal
- 24: William Saliba, Arsenal and France
- 25: Cole Palmer, Chelsea and England
- 26: Declan Rice, Arsenal and England
- 27: Vitinha, PSG and Portugal
- 28: Alejandro Grimaldo, Bayer Leverkusen and Spain
- 29: Mats Hummels, Roma and Germany
- 30: Artem Dovbyk, Roma and Ukraine
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
