A number of current and ex-players have come forward and offered their support to Vinicius Jr after the Real Madrid star was snubbed of the Ballon d’Or.
On Monday night, the Brazilian came second in the voting for football’s most prestigious individual award – with Man City’s Rodri taking home the trophy.
News broke earlier in the day that Vinicius was going to miss out on the award and shortly after Real Madrid and Vinicius decided to pull the plug on their trip to the gala, held at the Theatre du Chatelet.
Now that the dust has settled from the glitzy event, a number of prominent figures within football have offered words of encouragement for the Madrid star.
Interviewed at the event, Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit said: ‘Ballon d’Or? I think Vinicius.’
Meanwhile, shortly after the result, Real Madrid team-mate Eduardo Camavinga took to X to write: ‘FOOTBALL POLITICS (red X emoji). My brother you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro’.
Even those away from Real Madrid offered their support. AC Milan star Rafael Leao took to Instagram to post a picture of Vinicius with a ‘covered eyes’ emoji.
Spurs striker Richarlison – a compatriot of Vinicius – wrote a lengthy post on social media for Madrid star, which said: ‘All of us who live soccer look forward to the individual awards with great anxiety each season.
‘Today, all Brazilians who love football woke up expecting to see another player from our country win a award of the best in the world after so long.
‘Unfortunately, by criteria no one can understand, the prize did not come. And don’t get me wrong, Rodri is a bad player who deserves to be among the best. But Vini not getting that Ballon d’Or was embarrassing, and the only person who lost today was football.
‘I remember Vini saying his dream was to see all Brazil cheering for him. And that day was today! You are giant and the best in the world, kido! And no trophy will change that. Move forward and never be quiet! We’re all together!’
Richarlison’s north London rival – Arsenal defender Gabriel Maghalhaes – also offered his support to Vinicius in the form of an Instagram story.
He shared a picture of the Brazilian winger with the caption: ‘Best in the world!’.
Bayern Munich legend Franck Ribery also weighed in on the decision and posted an Instagram story that read: ‘Ballon d’Or’ with multiple ‘laughing emojis’.
