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Ballon d’Or: Journalist Blasts Real Madrid President Amid Rodri vs Vinicius Debate
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Ballon d’Or: Journalist Blasts Real Madrid President Amid Rodri vs Vinicius Debate

by  Ibrahim Sofiyullaha 2 min read
  • A Namibian journalist has faulted Florentino Perez's comments on how he voted in the 2024 Ballon d'Or award
  • The Real Madrid President criticised how some journalists voted as Vinicius Junior lost out to Rodri
  • The Brazilian got 1129 points compared to Rodri's 1170 in a vote that drew widespread public reactions

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It has been almost a month since the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner was announced, but the reactions from the October 28 ceremony have yet to settle.

Rodri beat the perceived favourite Vinicius Junior to become the first defensive player to win the award since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.

Rodri, Manchester City, Ballon d'Or, Vinicius Junior
Rodri presents his Ballon d'Or trophy to Manchester City fans on November 23. Photo by Carl Recine.
Source: Getty Images

Vinicius was primed to win the award after starring in Real Madrid's season, which saw them win the Champions League and the La Liga title.

However, the votes favoured Rodri, who was the most influential player in Manchester City's fourth consecutive Premier League title win.

Read also

Real Madrid Dealt Huge Blow as Vinicius Junior is Ruled Out With Hamstring Injury

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How Vinicius Junior missed out on Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez called out a group of journalists who failed to include Vinicius in their top 10 picks.

"If the journalists from Uganda, Albania, Namibia and Finland hadn’t voted, Vinícius would’ve won the Ballon d’Or. Nobody even knows who they are," he said, as quoted by Football Espana.

Namibia journalist fires back at Perez

The Finnish journalist Juha Kanerva apologised before resigning from voting in future awards, but the Namibian scribe Sheefeni Nicodemus has doubled down.

"Basically, I suspect these are the words of someone who is frustrated. Mr. Perez feels that the people of my country and the other countries mentioned do not have a meaningful vote because we are inferior people. I would just like to know, if I were from the major football nations and did not agree with his opinion, what would be his argument?" as quoted by Relevo.

Read also

Real Madrid president names the 4 countries that cost Vinicius Jr the Ballon d'Or

How much Rodri got for winning 2024 Ballon d'Or

TUKO.co.ke has also previously reported on how much Rodri got for winning the Ballon d'Or.

The Manchester City midfielder surprisingly beat Vinicius Jr to win the 2024 award on October 28.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke

Authors:
Ibrahim Sofiyullaha avatar

Ibrahim Sofiyullaha (Editorial Assistant) Ibrahim Sofiyullaha is a graduate of First Technical University, Ibadan. He was the founder and pioneer Editor-in-Chief of a fast-rising campus journalism outfit at his university. Ibrahim is a coauthor of the book Julie, or Sylvia, written in collaboration with two prominent Western authors. He was ranked as the 9th best young writer in Africa by the International Sports Press Association. Ibrahim has contributed insightful articles for major platforms, including Sportskeeda in the UK and Motherly in the United States. Email: ibrahim.sofiyullaha@corp.legit.ng

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