Real Madrid cry-arsing is enough to outweigh Uncle Carlo affection

After word got out that Vinicius Junior was to be given such an outrageous metaphorical slap in the face as to be named merely the second-best player in the world by the Ballon d’Or voting panel earlier this week, Real Madrid boycotted the award ceremony.

‘If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,’ Los Blancos cried, seemingly in the belief that the admittedly spooky dominion they hold over the European Cup should be extended to the Ballon d’Or as a right.

‘As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid.’

The most egregious act of disrespect shown throughout the whole debacle surrounding the over-hyped individual gong was that which Madrid showed to the winner, Manchester City’s Rodri. Nobody wants to root against a team managed by cuddly Uncle Carlo, the most likeable gaffer in the game, but Real’s entitled whingeing is enough to outweigh Ancelotti’s approval rating.

Is Vinicius the best player in the world? Maybe. In the early reckonings of the post-Messi and Ronaldo era, no single player has yet fully grasped the mantle of being the game’s best. Which is pretty much how it used to be before the two mega-star rivals came along; players would often vault into top spot but stay there only for a short while, with the best-in-the-world baton passed around more rapidly than the Jamaican 4×100 relay team. In the 1990s, it went between Baggio, Romario, Weah, Ronaldo, Zidane and Rivaldo without anyone clinging on to the mantle for much more than 18 months.

Right now, there are a handful of players vying for the distinction of being considered No.1, a pack that includes Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Rodri, Danny Welbeck and a few others. Vinicius is certainly among them. He might even be the frontrunner, but he is not so far ahead of the rest that him being voted Ballon d’Or runner-up constitutes a grave injustice.

MORE ON THE BALLON D’OR FROM F365:
👉 Who will win the 2025 Ballon d’Or? Real Madrid trio in top five favourites despite boycott
👉 Real Madrid legend blasts boring Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who is only ‘a good player’
👉 Man City star Rodri wins the Ballon d’Or as Real Madrid boycotters finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th

And besides, the Ballon d’Or does not necessarily crown the best player in the world, but rather it seeks to acknowledge the player who’s had the best year within the elite echelons of the game. If it was just given to the best player each year, Messi would have won at least 13 of them, instead of his miserly eight.

This is a point Madrid appear to recognise with their contention that, if not Vinicius, then Dani Carvajal should have won. That’s an argument so silly that it doesn’t merit a riposte, but here is one anyway: yes, Carvajal played in the teams that won arguably the two most important trophies of the past year, the Champions League and the European Championship; no, he was not one of the five most important players on either side.

Vinicius enjoyed an excellent season both individually and collectively, winning La Liga and the Champions League while scoring 24 goals and registering 11 assists across all competitions. But he wasn’t considered the best player of the last La Liga season; that award went to Real team-mate and the man who was voted third in the Ballon d’Or running, Jude Bellingham.

Rodri was Spain’s best player at the Euros, named the Player of the Tournament despite limping out of the final with a serious knee injury. And prior to that he was City’s most important player as they sailed to an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title. The nature of his position means his statistics don’t look as compelling as Vincius’, but it’s fair to suggest his loss to City is greater than the Brazilian’s long-term absence would be to Madrid.

And as impressive as Vinicius’ numbers were – and perhaps any cold analysis of such output has been warped by the peak Messi-Ronaldo years – 35 total goal involvements for the key attacker in one of the most talent-rich, attack-focused clubs in Europe is not a return that knocks you off your seat.

It is a historical fact, also, that in major international tournament years the destination of the Ballon d’Or is often determined by the performances of the top players at these competitions – from Lothar Matthaus in 1990, Zidane in 1998 and Ronaldo in 2002 to the other Ronaldo when he valiantly coached Portugal to Euro glory in 2016, Luka Modric after taking Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018 and Messi last year, when the voting period encompassed the 2022 World Cup.

For all that Rio Ferdinand tried to will Vinicius’ Ballon d’Or win into existence as he watched him score in the Champions League final, the Madrid star likely always needed to follow up that moment with a stellar showing at the Copa America over the summer to make his case unassailable. And he didn’t.

There really is nothing more to see here than one deserving winner getting the nod over another. The pantomime cry-arsing is yawn-inducing.

‘Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected,’ a club statement sassed.

Well, if the collective eye-rolling that greeted Madrid’s hissy fit is any indicator, the 15-time champions of Europe won’t be venturing outside the Bernabeu any time soon.