Vinicius Jr will not travel to Paris for the Ballon d'Or

The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be revealed on Monday at the Theatre du Chalet in Paris, however Vinicius Jr will not be present. According to the latest reports from Fabrizio Romano, the Brazilian forward will not attend the ceremony as he already knows he will not win the award.

The same report confirms that no one from Real Madrid will travel to Paris for the ceremony, as Manchester City's Rodri is now said to be the number one candidate to take home the prestigious award. Neither Jude Bellingham, who's also nominated, nor Florentino Perez will be there on Monday.

The news comes after initial reports claimed that Vinicius was set to win the Ballon d'Or. His contribution to Real Madrid's Champions League triumph in 2023 had put him in a strong position to claim the prize, though he failed to provide the same contribution to his national team during the Copa America in the summer.

With the ceremony just hours away, Rodri has been photographed making his way to the venue in crutches - due to his ACL injury - as everything points for him to be crowned the winner after Leo Messi won last year's edition. Should he win, the midifielder will become the first Spaniard to win the Ballon d'Or in 64 years - since Luis Suarez in 1960

 

October 28, 2024