MANCHESTER CITY cheekily reminded Vinicius Jr of the Ballon d’Or saga with a brutal Oasis-inspired banner – but the Real Madrid man ended up having the last laugh.
City star Rodri won the prestigious award given to the world’s best player ahead of him back in October.
Los Blancos were left fuming over the snub and decided all members of the club would not attend the glamorous ceremony in protest.
Ahead of Real Madrid’s thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over City, the hosts cleverly taunted Vinicius.
The Premier League champions posted a snap of their opponents arriving at the Etihad, which included a picture of the Brazilian winger walking into the stadium.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed he was cheekily pictured next to a display of Rodri kissing the iconic Ballon d’Or trophy.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Supporters found it hilarious, with one saying: “I saw what you did here.”
Another added: “We all see it, right?”
The taunting did not stop there as City fans welcomed Vinicius to the pitch ahead of kick-off with a brutal tifo.
Those sat next to the away end behind the goal held up a banner of Rodri with the trophy along with the Oasis lyrics: “Stop crying your heart out.”
Most read in Champions League
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
City supporters called it “superb” and “phenomenal” – with Rodri appearing to take a photo of it – but others were worried it was “all the motivation Real needs”.
A defiant Vinicius, who was booed by City fans, tweeted at the time of the boycott: “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”
And he will be desperate to get one over the injured Rodri as he even reportedly had a Ballon d’Or party planned for 50 people to celebrate.
Meanwhile, Nike had to scrap the specially designed boots they made and Real Madrid TV were forced to ditch the five hours of programming they had in place to to commemorate the success.
The club were fiercely criticised for not showing up to the ceremony but boss Carlo Ancelotti doubled down ahead of tonight’s game, saying: “I don’t think it was the wrong decision.
“We thought Vini was the winner of the Ballon d’Or.
“It doesn’t mean we don’t respect Rodri because he is a fantastic player. I think Rodri deserved to win it the year before.”
Pep Guardiola said there was “absolutely not” any resentment at Real over the incident.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
But Vinicius had the last laugh on the night, setting up Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp winner.
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said afterwards: “I don’t know if Vini saw the banner but looking at the game if he did see it it was a huge source of motivation for him. “
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
