Vinicius Jr. Breaks Silence As Rodri Beats Him To Ballon d'Or 2024 Title

Following his second-place finish for the men's Ballon d'Or award, Brazil and Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior broke his silence on being snubbed for the top award. Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been named the 2024 Men's Ballon d'Or winner following his outstanding performance during the 2023-24 season, in which he helped his club secure the English Premier League title for the fourth consecutive time. Rodri also played a crucial role for the Spanish national team, contributing to their victory at the 2024 Euros in Germany, where they defeated England 2-1 in July. He was named Player of the Tournament. The 28-year-old defensive midfielder was instrumental throughout last season, providing defensive stability as well as key passes for both his club and country, totalling 14 assists in all competitions.

Additionally, Rodri scored 10 goals during the 2023-24 season. With this win, he becomes the first Premier League player to receive the Ballon d'Or since Cristiano Ronaldo did so in 2008 while at Manchester United.

After Rodri won the award, the 24-year-old Vinicius, well known for his fight against racism in sport as much as his brilliant, match-winning performances on the football pitch, took to X and wrote, "I'll do it 10x if I have to. They're not ready."

Eu farei 10x se for preciso. Eles não estão preparados.

While it is not entirely clear what the striker is aiming to "do 10 times", the disappointment and resilience in Vinicius looks pretty evident and he would no doubt be fired up to continue scoring goals, winning trophies and standing up for important social causes, most notably racism, whenever needed. Over the years, there have been instances of the footballer receiving racist comments from football fans