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 instructed that will not be the case, and that the winner wouldn’t be Dani Carvajal both. The defender, who gained final summer time’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 they usually seemed to the European Championship, Carvajal must be forward of the remaining, together with one other Madrid participant, England’s Jude Bellingham.
However neither Vinicius Jr nor Carvajal would finally carry the trophy, prompting indignation and anger in Madrid. Consequently, 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 end 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 experiences in Spain indicated Vinicius Jr can 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 carry the trophy.
“I feel he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or due to what he has accomplished final 12 months, which helped us win the Champions League, not due to the three objectives at this time,” Carlo Ancelotti mentioned on Tuesday after the 24-year-old’s hat-trick impressed his crew 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 facet six factors clear on the prime 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, regardless that within the weeks main as much as it they all the time maintained they didn’t know what would occur.
The participant and his employees had ready intimately for the journey, with round 30 companions as a result of journey, together with individuals from his company, household and pals. A few of his company had travelled from Brazil expressly for this objective. 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 instructed The Athletic that Nike, Vinicius Jr’s predominant sporting sponsor, had ready particular boots to have fun an eventual victory. As well as, that they had organised an occasion in Madrid which the footballer, individuals near him and influencers had been as a result of attend. Nike has been contacted for remark.
Vinicius Jr celebrates after scoring his crew’s second aim in final season’s Champions League last (Ina Fassbender/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
For hours on Sunday, there have been moments of stress and an extended look forward to a call on what to do. Lastly, the Actual Madrid board determined that there can be no journey to Paris. All events agreed it was the most effective strategy after envisaging the photographs of disappointment in Paris, the place they’d have gone with each hope that Vinicius Jr can be the winner. As well as, the dearth of communication from France Soccer, both with the membership or with the participant, had irritated Madrid.
As Sunday afternoon turned to night, many extra individuals, together with Ancelotti, had been knowledgeable by the membership that they’d 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 tough 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’d do publicly after the gala.
The clearest got here from Eduardo Camavinga: “FOOTBALL POLITICS. My brother you’re the greatest participant on the earth 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 nicely. 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 isn’t good for soccer {that a} membership as vital as Madrid and with so many followers worldwide shouldn’t be current at such a gala,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente instructed Movistar.
“I used to be shocked, sure, as a result of I had spoken to somebody from Actual Madrid who mentioned they had been going to return right here at 13:30 and abruptly I’m within the resort and I’m shocked by the information,” Luis Figo, Los Blancos legend and a Ballon d’Or winner, instructed Movistar.
There was a clue on Monday morning for the extra attentive ones: surprisingly, Actual Madrid TV can be exhibiting a movie similtaneously 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 instructed 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 shouldn’t be the place it isn’t 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’d not be travelling to Paris.
Membership sources defined that they had came upon as a result of Manchester Metropolis knew Rodri can 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 instructed TNT Sports activities on the purple carpet in Paris. “Vinicius Junior is the one who positively deserves the award. It’s a disgrace.“
It’s price noting that the award is set on the premise of a vote by 100 journalists.
Because the afternoon wore on, the regulation of silence was established at Vinicius Jr’s camp. Members of the crew had been requested to not converse to the press for some time.
Nevertheless, at 6.30pm, a good friend of Vinicius Jr’s gave the primary public response.
“However this award not going into your palms solely reveals the mentality of those that are afraid of our presence,” wrote singer MC Maneirinho, receiving likes from different pals 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 referred to as out because the winner.
The day left Actual Madrid and Vinicius Jr with one predominant query: what else does he must do to carry the Ballon d’Or?
Successful the Champions League (concerned in 11 objectives in 10 video games, together with one within the last), 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 last in opposition to Barcelona) was not sufficient. So what can be?
(Prime picture: Getty Photos; design: John Bradford)