Vinicius Junior believes that his recent Ballon d’Or snub was because he regularly fights racism. The Real Madrid star, widely seen as the frontrunner for the annual award, ultimately finished second behind Manchester City midfielder Rodri. Aware that he was not going to collect the trophy, Vinicius opted not to attend the ceremony in France.
Vinicius’s Real teammates echoed the Brazilian star’s sentiments. None of the Spanish club’s players or representatives were in attendance on the night. The move by the reigning European champions was mostly ridiculed for being selfish.
Following the event, Vinicius took to social media to voice his frustrations. “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready,” the winger wrote on X. Because the remark could fall under different connotations, Reuters later attempted to get clarification on the statement.
According to the news agency, the player’s management team responded by saying that “the football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system.” Vinicius previously signed on with Roc Nation Sports after the American company acquired Brazilian agency TFM in 2023.
Brazilian star has been combating racial abuse in Spain for years
Vinicius has regularly been the target of racial abuse since he joined Real in 2018. As a result, the star has been vocal about making changes within the system to combat the deplorable acts. He was in tears while publicly speaking on the issue earlier this year.
Despite claims that the star may move away from Real because of the ongoing problem, Vinicius asserted that he would remain in Spain to play for the team that he loves. According to the Brazilian, leaving the club would “give the racists exactly what they want.”
LaLiga officials have seemingly been slow in attempting to curb racial abuse during matches. A Spanish court, however, recently gave a Mallorca fan a 12-month suspended sentence for hurling racial insults…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/vinicius-juniors-reps-blame-ballon-dor-snub-on-racism-fight/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-10-29 16:11:50
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