Ballon d'Or chief tells Vinicius Junior that two Real Madrid teammates cost him the Golden Ball

Vinicius Junior was stopped from winning the Ballon d'Or by his Real Madrid teammates, according to the ceremony organizer. The Brazilian star boycotted the event along with the entire Madrid team to protest the decision to snub Vinicius.

The 24-year-old finished second behind Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who became the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo to win football's most prestigious individual award.

Fans were left baffled by the winger's snub after he played a major role in Los Blancos' double triumph in the 2023-24 season, winning La Liga with just one defeat and winning his 14th European Cup by winning the Champions League.

But Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of the French media France Football, was partly responsible for hosting the event. And he speculated that Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal were actually behind the Brazilian's defeat.

“Of course, Vinicius suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top five because, mathematically, it takes away some points from him,” Garcia told Marca.

“That also sums up Real Madrid's season, which lasted three or four players and the jury shared the decision between them. Rodri took advantage of it.”

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