By Olaitan Ibrahim
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has disclosed that the club instructed him not to attend the Ballon d’Or award ceremony last year.
The Brazilian was considered a strong contender for the prestigious award, with many tipping him to edge out Manchester City’s Rodri.
However, on the day of the ceremony, Real Madrid abruptly canceled the plans made by their delegation following a leak indicating that Rodri would be named the best footballer in the world.
Even Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was honored as Manager of the Year, did not attend the event.
Vinicius told reporters: “I didn’t feel betrayed [by not winning]. There are people who vote for what they believe. I have my thoughts, my team-mates too. I have never dreamed of winning the Ballon d’Or. Of course, when you’re close to winning it you want to win it, but I’ll have options to win other awards. I’ve already won two Champions Leagues and I’m here to win a lot more.”
Asked about not attending the ceremony, he added: “Always the club’s [decision]. I do what the club tells me to do. They asked me to stay in Madrid and I did it calmly.”