Aftermath of 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony still causes much discussion, particularly following Zinedine Zidane’s comments regarding Rodri winning it for Manchester City midfielder. While many considered Vinicius Junior more deserving, Rodri has nonetheless caused much consternation since receiving this accolade.
Zidane agreed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s sentiment and declared Vinicius Jr. should have received the Ballon d’Or award this season due to his impressive season performance. These comments heightened debate surrounding its selection process and credibility of its resultant award winner.
The former Real Madrid manager didn’t hold back in his critique, suggesting that the award lost its authenticity in 2018 when Ronaldo was overlooked. This, according to Zidane, indicated a shift in how the award’s legitimacy was perceived within the football community.
Zidane has taken an approach similar to Ronaldo when commenting on individual football awards after Lionel Messi won eight Ballon d’Ors; Ronaldo raised concerns regarding voting mechanisms which weren’t fair and transparent – an attitude now shared by Zidane as well.
Zidane’s recent statements shed further light on ongoing disputes regarding football’s top individual honors, reinforcing Ronaldo’s previous reservations towards them.