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The Brazilian legend jested that the true winner of the coveted French Football award was Real Madrid President Florentino Perez. Ronaldo went on to add that his compatriot Vinicius should have been bestowed the award ahead of Rodri.
Ronaldo Nazario. (X)
Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario omitted Vinicius Junior and Rodri when naming his pick for the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner. Rodri recently made headlines after beating Vinicius for this year’s edition of the France Football award. Many fans and pundits felt that the Real Madrid forward deserved the award while others claimed Rodri was the rightful winner.
Ronaldo Nazario, however, has suggested that Real Madrid President Florentino Perez is the real winner of the individual prize. “What can I say, the real Ballon d’Or winner is Florentino Perez, he is a father to me. He taught me a lot and gave me everything in the world of football,” he said as per MARCA.
Ronaldo also knows what it’s like to finish as a Ballon d’Or runner-up. He secured second place for the award in 1996 before collecting the prize on two occasions in 1997 and 2002.
In the same interview, Ronaldo was asked what he thought about Vinicius being snubbed of the 2024 Ballon d’Or award. In response, the legendary striker claimed that the young Brazilian was the rightful winner of the individual prize. “Vinicius should have won the Ballon d’Or, which has missed a great opportunity to crown Vinicius as the best in the world. It has nothing to do with Rodri, to be clear, but Vinicius was much more decisive during last season,” he wrote.
Real Madrid probably felt the same about the Ballon d’Or 2024 results as they snubbed the annual gala at the Theatre du Chatelet in October. Vinicius Junior was the bookmakers’ favourite to win the prize after leading Real Madrid to a double. He was decisive for the Los Blancos in both La Liga and the Champions League. He made 39 appearances last season, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists.
Rodri was also a favourite to win the Ballon d’Or this year. He had a phenomenal season at the club level where he retained the Premier League title with Manchester City. He was instrumental in Spain’s Euro 2024 glory, emerging as the international tournament’s MVP.
As for Perez, the Real Madrid president has been at the tip of the club’s successes in recent years. Perez was the architect of Real Madrid’s Galacticos transfer policies. He was also a key advocate for the despised European Super League project.
