Real Madrid’s cries are enough to outweigh Uncle Carlo’s affections

After it was revealed that Vinicius Jr was due to receive such an outrageous metaphorical slap in the face that earlier this week the Ballon d’Or voting panel named him simply the second best player in the world, Real Madrid boycotted the awards ceremony . .

“If the award criteria do not point to Vinicius as the winner, then the same criteria must point to Carvajal as the winner,” cried Los Blancos, apparently believing that their notoriously terrible dominance of the European Cup was about to be destroyed. extended to the Ballon d’Or as a right.

“Since this was not the case, it is clear that the UEFA Ballon d’Or does not respect Real Madrid.

The most blatant act of disrespect shown throughout the debacle surrounding the much-touted individual gong was that which Madrid showed to the winner, Manchester City’s Rodri. Nobody wants to root against a team managed by lovable Uncle Carlo, the most likable player in the game, but Real Madrid’s whining is enough to outweigh Ancelotti’s approval rating.

Is Vinicius the best player in the world? May be. The first assessments of the post-Messi and Ronaldo era are that no player has yet fully embraced the mantle of being the best in the game. That’s pretty much how it was before the two megastar rivals emerged; players often surged to first place but only stayed there for a short time, with the world’s best baton being passed faster than the Jamaican 4×100 relay team. In the 1990s, between Baggio, Romario, Weah, Ronaldo, Zidane and Rivaldo, no one clung to the mantle for more than 18 months.

Right now there are several players vying for the number one title, this group includes Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Rodri, Danny Welbeck and several others. Vinicius is certainly one of them. He may even be the favourite, but he is not so far ahead of the pack that it would be a grave injustice to be chosen as second choice for the Ballon d’Or.

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Additionally, the Ballon d’Or is not necessarily awarded to the best player in the world, but rather aims to recognize the player who has had the best year in the elite echelons of the game. If the award were given to the best player of each year, Messi would have won at least 13 of them instead of his measly eight.

Apparently, Madrid is aware of this point, arguing that if not Vinicius, then Dani Carvajal should have won. This is such a stupid argument that it doesn’t deserve an answer, but here it is nonetheless: yes, Carvajal played on the teams that won arguably the two most important trophies of last year, the Champions League and the European Championship; no, he was not one of the five most important players on either side.

Vinicius has had a great season both individually and collectively, winning La Liga and the Champions League with 24 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. But he wasn’t considered the best player in La Liga last season; The award went to Real Madrid teammate and third-place finisher for the Ballon d’Or, Jude Bellingham.

Rodri was Spain’s best player at the Euros, named Player of the Tournament, despite limping out of the final with a serious knee injury. Before that, he was City’s most important player as they won an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row. The nature of his position means his stats don’t look as compelling as Vincius’s, but it’s fair to assume his loss to City is bigger than the Brazilian’s long-term absence from Madrid.

And as impressive as Vinicius’ numbers were – and perhaps any cold analysis of such results was skewed by the peak Messi-Ronaldo years – 35 total goals scored for a key striker at one of the most talent-rich and attack-oriented clubs in the world. Europe is not a comeback that knocks you off your feet.

It is also a historical fact that during major international tournaments, the Ballon d’Or award is often determined by the performances of the best players in those competitions – from Lothar Matthäus in 1990, Zidane in 1998 and Ronaldo in 2002 to another Ronaldo when he valiantly coached Portugal to European glory in 2016, Luka Modric after leading Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018, and Messi last year as the voting period covered the 2022 World Cup.

Despite Rio Ferdinand’s best efforts to ensure Vinicius won the Ballon d’Or after watching him score in the Champions League final, the Madrid star was probably always meant to follow up the moment with a stellar performance at this summer’s Copa America. make his case undeniable. And he didn’t.

There’s really not much else to see here other than one worthy winner getting an edge over another. A pantomime cry causes a yawn.

“Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected,” the club said in a statement.

Well, if the collective eye-roll that was met with Madrid’s tantrum is any indication, the 15-time European champions won’t be venturing outside the Bernabeu anytime soon.