Brazil Coach Flays Ballon d’Or ‘Injustice’, Insists Vinicius Jnr Deserves Football Top Prize

Days after Manchester City and Spain’s international Star, Rodri carted home the 2024 Ballon d’Or, controversies around the event have refused to go away with Brazil national team Coach, Dorival Junior insisting that an ‘injustice’ has been done to Vinicius Junior.

Slamming Ballon d’Or result, Coach Dorival said given his overall individual performance and contributions to clubside and national team football, Vinicius should have won the top prize.

The 62-year-old tactician, who took over as Brazil men’s national team Head Coach earlier this year, become the latest football figure to criticise the result of the awards ceremony.

The Seleção Canarinho handler told reporters that though he respected Rodri immensely, the Spaniard’s victory represented an “unfair situation”.

Coach Dorival, who offered his thoughts on the Award at a press conference, said; “In my opinion, [it’s] an unfair situation, especially because it is an individual award.

“Nothing against whoever won the award, quite the opposite, it is the recognition of one of the great players of Spanish football, but Vinícius, for the work he did, should have received different attention. But the greatest prize that Vinícius won was the recognition and respect of his people.

“The vast majority of the Brazilian people realized the injustice that was done to the player who could have deservedly received the award.”

Amid the controversy, Real Madrid’s response to Vinicius failing to win the Ballon d’Or has been described as a serious case of “exaggerated victimhood”, with the club ‘childishly’ boycotting the ceremony after finding out their star man would not be winning the major accolade.

The Brazilian and his team have clearly been seriously impacted by the decision, and rumours that he’s willing to leave the club and seek a new challenge are circulating more widely as a result.