Tuesday, October 29, 2024 – Real Madrid star, Vinicius Jr believes that his public fight against racism cost him the Ballon d'Or.
The Brazilian winger missed out on the prestigious award
to Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, while Real
Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham came third.
The Spanish giants grabbed headlines before Tuesday's ceremony in Paris
when it was reported that players and coaches had decided to boycott the
ceremony after learning Vinicius Jr would not be taking home the top
honour.
The 24-year-old took to social media after he was confirmed as the
runner-up, writing on X: 'I will do it 10 times if I have to. They're not
ready.'
According to Reuters, this comment was a reference to his fight against
racism in recent years.
'The football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against
the system.' A member of the Brazilian winger's management staff is quoted by
the outlet as saying.
Vinicius has been at the centre of discussions on racism in football,
having been target to abuse at least 16 occasions in recent years. Last month,
he suggested that Spain should not host the World Cup in 2030 unless action is
taken over the issue.
His remarks were quickly dismissed by LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who
labelled them as 'incoherent'.
'I think that, if you look, you will see that his statements were not
entirely consistent with what he himself says in the interview.' He told
Football Espana. '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.'
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