Vinicius Jr 'believes he lost out on Ballon d'Or due to fight against racism' after Rodri won prize
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Vinicius Jr reportedly believes his public fight against racism has cost him the Ballon d'Or after the Real Madrid star was beaten to the prize by Rodri on Monday night.
The 24-year-old had been considered the favourite to secure the gong after helping Los Blancos win LaLiga and the Champions League last term.
But Vinicius Jr ended up missing out, with Rodri recognised after a year that saw him win the Premier League with Manchester City and Euro 2024 with Spain.
Moments after Rodri was revealed as the winner, Vinicius Jr took to social media.
Vinicius Jr reportedly believes his public fight against racism has cost him the Ballon d'Or after the Real Madrid star was beaten to the prize by Rodri on Monday night.
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The Real Madrid cryptically wrote: "I will do it 10 times if I have to. They're not ready."
And Reuters now say this comment was a reference to his ongoing fight against racism, having been subjected to some vile abuse in recent years.
A member of the Brazilian's management team reportedly said: "The football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system."
Vinicius Jr has been subjected to racist abuse on at least 16 occasions over the past few years.
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Just last month, the Real star said Spain shouldn't host the World Cup in 2030 until the issue has been sufficiently addressed.
"If the situation with racism in Spain does not improve before 2030, the World Cup would have to be moved to a different location," he said.
"So I hope that Spain can evolve and understand how serious it is to insult a person because of the colour of their skin, because if things don't evolve in 2030, I think we have to change the venue, because if the player doesn't feel comfortable and doesn't feel safe playing in a country where he can suffer racism, it's a bit complicated.'
LaLiga president Javier Tebas then furiously hit back, labelling his comments as 'incoherent'.
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"I think that, if you look, you will see that his statements were not entirely consistent with what he himself says in the interview," said Tebas.
"At the same time that he was saying that perhaps the World Cup should be re-considered, he was also saying that Spain is not a racist country.
"Let's remove what is incoherent and keep what is coherent: that Spain is not a racist country, and on that I agree with Vinicius."
Meanwhile, speaking after winning the Ballon d'Or, Rodri revealed he'd received a phone call from Dani Carvajal.
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Vinicius Jr has been subjected to vile racist abuse out in Spain over the years
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Carvajal finished fourth and plays his club football alongside Vini Jr for Real Madrid.
But it appears he doesn't mind his fellow Spaniard securing the prize instead.
"I received a call from Dani Carvajal who was very happy for me," he said.
Vinicius Jr was beaten to Ballon d'Or glory by Rodri on Monday night
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“I wanted to remember him because I think he also deserved it.
"He has similar values to mine, of teamwork, of loving a club and of giving everything.
"We share many things, we have been brought together more by the injury.”
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