Rio Ferdinand banged the Ballon d'Or drum for Vinicius after Champions League final (Image: TNT)
Rio Ferdinand was convinced Vinicius Jr had the 'Golden Ball in the bag' after his performance in the Champions League final, but the Brazilian snubbed the awards ceremony upon learning he would not win.
The Real Madrid sensation won the Champions League last season, scoring the decisive goal in the final as Los Blancos triumphed over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. With several notable moments in Europe under his belt, Vinicius was tipped as one of the favorites for the coveted individual award.
Ferdinand, fully convinced that the Real striker would win the Ballon d'Or and become the first Brazilian winner since Kaka in 2007, expressed his support during the Champions League broadcasts on TNT Sports.
Video shows Ferdinand repeatedly shouting “Ballon d'Or” as Vinicius found the net in the Champions League final, saying: “The biggest moments of the Champions League this season – Vinicius arrived “.
Yet Ferdinand's predictions proved insufficient as Rodri won the award instead. The lead-up to the event was filled with speculation that it would be a two-legged race between the Spanish midfielder and the Brazilian striker.
Rodri's success at club and country allowed him to win the award (Image: Getty)
Hours before the ceremony, news broke that the Manchester City player had won, thanks to another Premier League title and his influential role in Spain's victorious Euro campaign.
Real Madrid were in turmoil after being snubbed at the illustrious football ceremony, leading to a high-profile boycott of the event. No representative of the Spanish giants flew to Paris despite the club's decision being widely denounced.
Vinicius Jnr missed the Ballon d'Or and chose to boycott the ceremony (Image: Getty)
The esteemed squad had three players – Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius – among the top four contenders.
Even with Kylian Mbappe ranked in the coveted top ten list, there was a notable absence from Real Madrid to take home the honours; leaving Rodri to occupy the podium solo. This followed Real's accusations towards the organizers and UEFA of blatant disrespect.
They told AFP: “If the award criteria do not give Vinicius as the winner, then these same criteria should name Carvajal as the winner. As this was not the case, it is clear that the Ballon d'Or -UEFA does not respect Real Madrid and Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.
Rodri hailed his triumph, saying: “It's not just a victory for me, but for Spanish football. So many players who didn't win the award, but deserved it, it's a victory of Spanish football.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1968488/Rio-Ferdinand-Ballon-dOr