- Manchester City midfielder Rodri beat Vinicius Jnr to the Ballon d’Or on Monday night.
- Clarence Seedorf has a theory about why Vinicius Jr. was left without a prize
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Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf believes Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. missed out on the Ballon d’Or due to an “unresolved” dispute.
Vinicius Jr. lost out on the prestigious award on Monday night to Manchester City midfielder Rodri, as the Brazilian winger finished second in the standings ahead of Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal.
After learning that Vinicius Jr. had not won that same day, Real Madrid chose not to send any representatives to the ceremony as they made their displeasure clear.
Seedorf, who won the Champions League with Madrid in 1998, was present with his wife Sophia Makramati and put forward his own theory as to why Vinicius Jr. was overlooked.
“I already voted almost a year ago and I think Vinicius deserved this award,” Seedorf told TNT Sports Brasil.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri was awarded the Ballon d’Or on Monday night ahead of Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius Jnr did not attend the ceremony after discovering that he had not won the award
Clarence Seedorf (pictured with his wife Sophia Makramati) believes Vinicius Jr. did not win due to an “unresolved” dispute between Real Madrid and UEFA
“It seems that there is something between Real Madrid and UEFA that seems not to be resolved.”
And he added: ‘The problems between Real Madrid and UEFA should be kept out of these matters. It’s a shame.’
Seedorf did not detail exactly what the reason for the dispute could be, with Madrid still winning team of the year, while Carlo Ancelotti was declared men’s coach of the year following his team’s LaLiga and Champions League triumphs.
However, Seedorf was far from the only high-profile figure to disagree with the final Ballon d’Or classification.
Vinicius turned to X after the decision to post was announced: “I will do it 10 times if necessary.” They are not prepared.
Several of his teammates supported him, including Eduardo Camavinga, who also suggested that it was not a football decision.
Camavinga wrote on social media: ‘FOOTBALL POLITICS. My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. I love you my brother.’
Aurelien Tchouameni added: ‘Nothing will take away from you what you have achieved, my brother. “We ALL know it… They are not prepared for what you are going to offer them.”
For his part, Madrid defender Eder Militao stated: ‘You are the best and no one can take that away from you. The best!’
