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Carlo Ancelotti opened up on Vinicius losing the Ballon d'Or award to Rodri.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke in a press conference for the first time since the Ballon d'Or gala, in which Real Madrid took a stand against the award after they caught a whim that their star player Vinicius Jr. was going to be passed over.
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10:48 - 02.11.2024
Rodri Vs Vinicius: The unseen forces shaping the Ballon d'Or narratives
Rodri has been crowned the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, but the decision has continued to raise dust, especially with Real Madrid faithful who feel Vinicius was robbed.
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09:22 - 31.10.2024
Kylian Mbappe finally breaks silence after Vinicius Junior Ballon d’Or snub
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe has finally reacted after teammate Vinicius Junior lost the 2024 Ballon d'Or to Rodri.
Real Madrid Ballon d’Or snub
Prior to the award night, Brazil international Vinicius Jr. was the popular favourite to win the award; it was almost a given, with the gala announcement a mere formality.
While France Football remained tight-lipped about how the voting went, planning to keep the anticipation heightened until they named the winner, it slipped in the morning of the award that instead of Vini, Manchester City's Rodri will win the highly coveted prize, as Pulse Sports reported.
Hence, Los Blancos, who had an elaborate celebration planned in anticipation of what they assumed was a certainty, boycotted the entire thing, despite Ancelotti winning best manager and the team winning best club later that night.
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What Ancelotti said
Given the devastating flooding in the Valencia area of Spain that has claimed many lives, Real Madrid's LALIGA clash at the Mestalla last weekend was postponed; hence, the pre-match press conference for the UCL clash against Milan tomorrow was Ancelotti's first media appearance since the gala.
He was asked about the club's stand, and in an attempt to posture that they have moved past it, he said they won their own Ballon d'Or in June when they were named European Champions for beating Dortmund in the UCL final.
“Congrats to who won the Ballon d’Or, but it’s the past,” Ancelotti told reporters. “We won our Ballon d’Or on June 1st. Our Ballon d’Or was the Champions League we won in London.”
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