'The streets will remember': Rodri wins men's Ballon d'Or 2024 but disappointed Real Madrid fans call out Vinicius Junior's snub

Manchester City midfielder Rodri scripted history on Monday (October 29) by winning the 2024 Ballon d'Or, beating out season's fan favourite Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid. This achievement caps off an incredible 2023-24 season for Rodri, where he led Manchester City to their fourth consecutive Premier League title and played a pivotal role in Spain's Euro 2024 victory. However, what football fans are talking about is a no-show from Real Madrid who decided to boycott the event after it was leaked that Vinicius Junior will not win the award.?

Rodri wins?Ballon d'Or?

Rodri ended the Premier League's 16-year Ballon d'Or drought, following Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 win with Manchester United. Notably, this year marked an unprecedented shift, as neither Lionel Messi (eight-time winner) nor Cristiano Ronaldo (five-time winner) received a nomination for the first time in nearly two decades.

Real Madrid's no-show?

The 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony was a tumultuous affair, with Real Madrid announcing its delegation would skip the Chatelet Theatre event. The Spanish club's decision to protest the ceremony came from their player Vinicius Junior's perceived snub. Fans of the club had anticipated that Brazil Forward would claim the honour following Real Madrid's stellar season.?

The French organisers insisted that the winner's identity was a closely guarded secret this year; however, the news had leaked already made enough waves for Real Madrid to know Vinicius would not win the coveted title.?

They have their decision: Rodri on Read Madrid's no-show.?

Rodri briefly addressed Real's no-show in his post-award press conference. "They have their decision, they didn't want to be here for their reasons," he said. "I just focus on my club and my teammates."

Disappointed fans call out the organisers

There is an overwhelming disappointment and anger among Real Madrid's fans over what they deem an injustice with Vinicius Jr. being snubbed.

"The streets will never forget," one disappointed fan wrote.?

Another Madridista wrote, "After 6 months, no one will remember what Rodri did to win a Ballon d'Or. ?Even after 20 years, people will talk about how Vini Jr was robbed of his well-deserving first Ballon d'Or."

?A third X user mentioned, "Ballon D'or has no credibility they freely gave it away because they couldn't bear to give the award to a black man, racism of the highest order. ?If they follow the criteria then Carvajal deserves it."

"Vini Jr. You are the best player of the last season and no ballan d or or any other award can change this," another Real Madrid fan wrote.?

?A user shared a video of a group of agitated fans who were gathered to boycott the ceremony. A user mentioned, "Vincius Jr ballon d'or, they chant. It's very clear who is the winner. They robbed Vinicius. Is the biggest scandal ever in football. What a shame and disgrace.

?Los Blancos' contingent of nominees also included Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Fede Valverde and Jude Bellingham. For the unversed, the winner of the Ballon d'Or is selected from the shortlist by an international jury consisting of 100 specialist journalists.