On Sunday, not even 24 hours after the heavy blow of dropping El Clasico 4-0 to Barcelona on the Bernabeu, there was one other seismic shift at Actual Madrid.
From the best ranges of the membership got here the order to cancel Monday’s deliberate journey to Paris, the place everybody was anticipating, amongst different prizes, Vinicius Junior to win the Ballon d’Or.
Actual Madrid had been informed that might not be the case, and that the winner wouldn’t be Dani Carvajal both. The defender, who gained final summer season’s Euros with Spain was Los Blancos’ different main candidate.
On the membership’s places of work, they argued that if Vinicius Jr didn’t win and so they seemed to the European Championship, Carvajal must be forward of the remainder, together with one other Madrid participant, England’s Jude Bellingham.
However neither Vinicius Jr nor Carvajal would in the end raise the trophy, prompting indignation and anger in Madrid. Because of this, nobody from the membership was current on the occasion to see Rodri, one other of Spain’s Euros winners however a star for Premier League champions Manchester Metropolis, topped the world’s greatest footballer for 2023-24.
Right here, The Athletic takes you inside a horrible 48 hours for Vinicius Jr and Madrid.
Nobody at Actual Madrid anticipated this final result.
Greater than in earlier years, a lot effort was made to take care of secrecy and to keep away from the identities of the award winners from leaking. Interviews and photoshoots that used to happen earlier than the ceremony had been delayed till afterwards.
Whereas some studies in Spain indicated Vinicius Jr could be named the winner for the primary time, The Athletic reported on Monday that neither Actual Madrid, Vinicius Jr nor most of those that work at France Soccer (the publication which created the award) knew the winner.
Beforehand, there had been full confidence in Madrid that Vinicius Jr would raise the trophy.
“I feel he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or due to what he has achieved final 12 months, which helped us win the Champions League, not due to the three objectives at present,” Carlo Ancelotti stated on Tuesday after the 24-year-old’s hat-trick impressed his group to a comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund.
That hope was partly a comfort, a painkiller for the house drubbing by Barcelona on Saturday, a end result which took Hansi Flick’s aspect six factors clear on the high of La Liga.
On Sunday morning, nevertheless, Vinicius Jr was knowledgeable he wouldn’t win the Ballon d’Or. It was a shock for him and all these round him, although within the weeks main as much as it they all the time maintained they didn’t know what would occur.
The participant and his workers had ready intimately for the journey, with round 30 companions attributable to journey, together with individuals from his company, household and associates. A few of his company had travelled from Brazil expressly for this goal. An after-party was additionally deliberate for the occasion on Monday.
A number of sources who, like others on this article, wished to stay nameless to guard relationships, have informed The Athletic that Nike, Vinicius Jr’s fundamental sporting sponsor, had ready particular boots to rejoice an eventual victory. As well as, they’d organised an occasion in Madrid which the footballer, individuals near him and influencers had been attributable to attend. Nike has been contacted for remark.
Vinicius Jr celebrates after scoring his group’s second purpose in final season’s Champions League ultimate (Ina Fassbender/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
For hours on Sunday, there have been moments of stress and an extended anticipate a call on what to do. Lastly, the Actual Madrid board determined that there could be no journey to Paris. All events agreed it was the very best strategy after envisaging the pictures of disappointment in Paris, the place they might have gone with each hope that Vinicius Jr could be the winner. As well as, the dearth of communication from France Soccer, both with the membership or with the participant, had aggravated Madrid.
As Sunday afternoon turned to night, many extra individuals, together with Ancelotti, had been knowledgeable by the membership that they might not be travelling, regardless of the very fact a delegation of round 50 individuals was scheduled to take action. That order got here from the highest.
At a really troublesome time, Vinicius Jr was comforted by the truth that the entire membership was in settlement about not travelling. As quickly because the information reached his team-mates, they despatched him quite a few messages of encouragement, as they might do publicly after the gala.
The clearest got here from Eduardo Camavinga: “FOOTBALL POLITICS. My brother you’re the greatest participant on the planet and no award can say in any other case. Love you my bro,” the participant wrote on X.
At one level it was envisaged that Emilio Butragueno, director of institutional relations, would journey, however this was lastly dominated out on Monday as properly. It meant Actual Madrid had nobody there to gather their award for males’s membership of the 12 months, and nobody to simply accept when Ancelotti was named males’s coach of the 12 months.
“It’s not good for soccer {that a} membership as necessary as Madrid and with so many followers worldwide is just not current at such a gala,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente informed Movistar.
“I used to be stunned, sure, as a result of I had spoken to somebody from Actual Madrid who stated they had been going to come back right here at 13:30 and all of a sudden I’m within the resort and I’m stunned by the information,” Luis Figo, Los Blancos legend and a Ballon d’Or winner, informed Movistar.
There was a clue on Monday morning for the extra attentive ones: surprisingly, Actual Madrid TV could be exhibiting a movie concurrently the Ballon d’Or gala. The membership’s web site and social media would additionally make no point out of any of the awards acquired.
Shortly earlier than 3pm, Actual Madrid privately reported that the rising rumours had been true.
“If the award standards don’t proclaim Vinicius Jr the winner, those self same standards ought to proclaim Carvajal the winner,” a membership supply informed The Athletic. “As this has not been the case, it’s apparent that the UEFA Ballon d’Or doesn’t respect Actual Madrid. And Actual Madrid is just not the place it’s not revered.”
Minutes later, individuals from Vinicius Jr’s company confirmed to The Athletic that they had been in Madrid after being knowledgeable by the membership and that they might not be travelling to Paris.
Membership sources defined they’d discovered as a result of Manchester Metropolis knew Rodri could be the winner, though sources briefed on the method guarantee The Athletic that the data didn’t come from the English membership.
Actual Madrid had been fast to level out that the identify of the award is “Ballon d’Or-UEFA”, given European soccer’s governing physique is concerned within the organistion of the occasion. The membership and UEFA have been at odds since Madrid’s involvement in a proposed European Tremendous League.
“I feel there are issues between Actual Madrid and UEFA, which affected some issues within the outcomes,” former Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf informed TNT Sports activities on the purple carpet in Paris. “Vinicius Junior is the one who undoubtedly deserves the award. It’s a disgrace.“
It’s price noting that the award is set on the idea of a vote by 100 journalists.
Because the afternoon wore on, the legislation of silence was established at Vinicius Jr’s camp. Members of the group had been requested to not converse to the press for some time.
Nonetheless, at 6.30pm, a buddy of Vinicius Jr’s gave the primary public response.
“However this award not going into your arms solely reveals the mentality of those that are afraid of our presence,” wrote singer MC Maneirinho, receiving likes from different associates and company members. From Valdebebas, one thing else was additionally highlighted: the viewers on the occasion shouted Vinicius Jr’s identify within the seconds earlier than Rodri’s identify was known as out because the winner.
The day left Actual Madrid and Vinicius Jr with one fundamental query: what else does he need to do to raise the Ballon d’Or?
Profitable the Champions League (concerned in 11 objectives in 10 video games, together with one within the ultimate), La Liga (concerned in 21 objectives in 26 video games, one each 89 minutes on common) and the Spanish Tremendous Cup (hat-trick within the ultimate towards Barcelona) was not sufficient. So what could be?
(High photograph: Getty Photographs; design: John Bradford)
