Real Madrid star, Vinicius Jr believes that his public fight against racism cost him the Ballon d’Or.
The Brazilian winger missed out on the prestigious award to Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, while Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham came third.
The Spanish giants grabbed headlines before Tuesday’s ceremony in Paris when it was reported that players and coaches had decided to boycott the ceremony after learning Vinicius Jr would not be taking home the top honour.
The 24-year-old took to social media after he was confirmed as the runner-up, writing on X: ‘I will do it 10 times if I have to. They’re not ready.’
According to Reuters, this comment was a reference to his fight against racism in recent years.
‘The football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system.’ A member of the Brazilian winger’s management staff is quoted by the outlet as saying.
Vinicius has been at the centre of discussions on racism in football, having been target to abuse at least 16 occasions in recent years. Last month, he suggested that Spain should not host the World Cup in 2030 unless action is taken over the issue.
His remarks were quickly dismissed by LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who labelled them as ‘incoherent’.
‘I think that, if you look, you will see that his statements were not entirely consistent with what he himself says in the interview.’ He told Football Espana. ‘At the same time that he was saying that perhaps the World Cup should be re-considered, he was also saying that Spain is not a racist country.
‘Let’s remove what is incoherent and keep what is coherent: that Spain is not a racist country, and on that I agree with Vinicius.’