Few players have riled Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fans quite as much as Vinicius Junior since Cristiano Ronaldo left the league, a sure sign that the Brazilian is doing something right on the pitch. They did not miss the chance to have some fun with the Ballon d’Or drama last week though.
It was reported by sources close to Real Madrid that Vinicius would win the Ballon d’Or weeks ahead of the gala as fact, but when it emerged that in fact Manchester City’s Rodri Hernandez would triumph narrowly over Vinicius, President Florentino Perez made the decision that none of their nominees would travel to the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris. It was a decision that did not have the unanimous backing of their nominees, reportedly.
Meanwhile Vinicius tweeted out that he would do it 10 times over or 10 times as well if that was what was necessary, shortly after the award was handed to Rodri. There have been a series of conspiracies emerging in the Spanish capital as to why Vinicius did not win the award, none of which with any evidence so far.
Los Blancos were internationally criticised for their reaction, much to the amusement of the followers of their rivals. At the Metropolitano on Sunday, Atletico fans could be heard singing ‘ ‘Vinicius, Balon de playa’ – ‘Vinicius, beach ball’. Meanwhile 600km north, in a game that kicked off minutes after the Atletico game finished, Barcelona fans could be heard singing the same thing during their derby win over Espanyol.
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