On the stands of the basketball pavilion at the Ciudad Real Madrid this Sunday, during the ordinary and extraordinary general meetings of the representative members, Florentino Pérez sent a message to Vinícius Júnior, who was overlooked by the voters of the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
With just a few weeks left in 2024, Real Madrid convened a large assembly of representative members to review the past year and discuss forecasts for the year ahead. The president of the Madrid club for the past 24 years, Florentino Pérez, delivered an extensive report on the year. From titles in La Liga and the Champions League, to the departures of players like Toni Kroos and Joselu, and the arrivals of Kylian Mbappé and Endrick, the president covered all the key topics.
“You had to endure many injustices”
One of the major talking points in recent weeks, the 2024 Ballon d’Or, which narrowly escaped Vinícius Júnior, was also included in Pérez’s report. The 77-year-old sports director did not hold back in expressing his admiration for the Brazilian winger. Unlike some voters who dared to exclude the Madrid star from their top 10, Florentino Pérez formally acknowledged the 24-year-old player as the best in the world.
“For us and for football lovers, Vinícius Jr. is the best player in the world. Vini, we are very proud of you,” the president of the world’s greatest club began, before delivering an emotional message to his forward. “Dear Vinícius, I want you to know that Real Madrid supporters are proud of you, for everything you have had to endure during many unjust moments and periods. All of this has made you the player you are today.” A powerful message, followed by a thunderous applause from the thousands of Madridistas present on Sunday.
Florentino Pérez’s show
After briefly covering various topics, the Real Madrid president took a good ten minutes to speak about UEFA and France Football. Completely stunned by the final result of this year’s organisers, Florentino Pérez didn’t mince his words in asserting that something shady had occurred. While he refused to criticise Rodri, whom he called a good footballer, Pérez stated that the Manchester City midfielder in no way deserved the Ballon d’Or ahead of Vinícius, Dani Carvajal, or Jude Bellingham.
“Rodri is a great footballer. He has all our love, but let me tell you something. Tuttosport said: ‘The Ballon d’Or should have gone to Real Madrid. This year, they compensated Rodri for his performance last season. He deserves the Ballon d’Or, but not this year,‘” Pérez remarked before turning his ire on UEFA.
“There were journalists nobody knows who voted”
“For the first time in history, UEFA organised the Ballon d’Or with the French media, France Football, and L’Équipe. UEFA has altered the voting system. There were journalists nobody knows who came to vote this year. Does anyone really understand that there were journalists who didn’t give a single vote to Vinícius for the Ballon d’Or? At least the Finnish journalist, who didn’t vote for him, resigned. Listen, I appreciate that; at least he acknowledged it,” the Madrid boss added before criticising France Football’s way of doing things.
“Without the votes from journalists from countries like Albania, Uganda, Namibia, and Finland, Vinícius Jr. would have won the Ballon d’Or,” he added, under the ovations of the members present. The message was clear. In this ongoing season, Real Madrid will do everything to place their player at the top of the footballing world. With La Liga still wide open, it’s all to play for.
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