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Sergio Aguero slams Real Madrid for their response to Vinicius Jr. who lost the Ballon d’Or to Rodri – and insists his ex-Man City teammate is a worthy winner of the award

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Sergio Aguero slams Real Madrid for their response to Vinicius Jr. who lost the Ballon d’Or to Rodri – and insists his ex-Man City teammate is a worthy winner of the award

  • Vinicius Jr. finished second in the Ballon d’or voting, but did not attend the ceremony
  • Real Madrid players and coaches boycotted the glitzy event in Paris on Tuesday
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By Tum Balogun

Published: | Updated:

Sergio Aguero has labeled Real Madrid ‘entitled’ in a rebuke of the club’s response to Vinicius Jr’s miss.

The Brazilian winger and his club were outraged by the decision to award the prestigious prize to Manchester City and Spanish midfielder Rodri and boycotted the ceremony in Paris on Tuesday evening.

In a statement, the Spanish giants claimed that neither Rodri nor Dani Carvajal’s victory proved that UEFA had no respect for the club. This was followed on Wednesday by a report from Vinicius’ camp that the 24-year-old believes the criticism was due to his outspoken opposition to racism.

Aguero, who spent two seasons with Rodri at the Etihad, believes his former teammate is a worthy winner of the gong and slammed Madrid for their attitude to the result.

‘Well deserved. Rodri is the best player in the world.’ He said this on his streaming channel. ‘Football is for everyone, not just for Real Madrid, they have a right to that.’

Sergio Aguero slams Real Madrid for their response to Vinicius Jr. who lost the Ballon d’Or to Rodri – and insists his ex-Man City teammate is a worthy winner of the award

Sergio Aguero has criticized Real Madrid for their response to Vinicius Jr’s Ballon d’Or nod.

The Brazilian winger was the favorite for the award after helping Madrid to LaLiga and the Champions League

The Brazilian winger was the favorite for the award after helping Madrid to LaLiga and the Champions League

Aguero believes his former teammate Rodri is a worthy winner after his success at club and international level

Aguero believes his former teammate Rodri is a worthy winner after his success at club and international level

Vinicius was a heavy favorite to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or after his epic contribution helped Madrid to a LaLiga-UEFA Champions League double.

He scored six goals and four assists in ten Champions League appearances and scored 20 goals in 26 La Liga games.

He broke his silence just minutes after an emotional Rodri collected the award on Tuesday evening, in recognition of his role in Spain’s victory at the 2024 European Championship and his club’s fourth successive Premier League win.

‘If I have to, I’ll do it ten times. They’re not ready yet,” he posted on X, hinting at future successes.”

Reuters later reported that this comment was a reference to his fight against racism in recent years. ‘The football world is not prepared to accept a player who fights against the system.’ A member of the Brazilian winger’s management staff is quoted by the newspaper.

Madrid’s statement to AFP said: ‘If the award criteria do not point to Vinicius as the winner, those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was not present to receive the award for his best men's coach

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was not present to receive the award for his best men’s coach

‘Since this was not the case, it is clear that the Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid will not go where it is not respected.”

As a result, Manager Carlo Ancelotti was not present to collect his award for Best Men’s Coach and there were no representatives to collect the Award for Best Men’s Team.