The main Brazilian sports reporters and broadcasters reinforced the chorus of discontent in a country that had no doubt that Vinicius would take home this year’s Ballon d’Or, and made it clear that the player’s strong positions and fight against the racism may have been the factor that snatched the prize from his hands. Although other black Brazilian players such as Ronaldo Nazário (1997 and 2002), Rivaldo (1999) and Ronaldinho Gaúcho (2005) have already received the award, Brazilian journalists agree that none of them was as persecuted or faced racism as much as Vinicius. .
Brazil’s most famous announcer, the veteran Galvão Bueno, from the Globo network, commented on Vinicius’ defeat on his social networks. «40% of the votes are from representatives of Europe. So it’s not just a question of football, of who plays football more. This award has a European flavor. ‘Ah, but Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Kaká, Messi… have won.’ Yes of course. But there is another factor. Vini Jr bothers them. I have never seen Rodri make a more forceful social action or any important statement in this sense,” declared the sports announcer, who praised the Spanish player, but said that he was not the “man” of this moment.
«Vini Jr is the man of this moment. He confronts everyone with his strong personality. Does not accept the horror of racism. Today he is the strongest voice in the world against racism. “It bothers people because of the way he is, because he has won on the field and in life,” added the veteran Brazilian narrator who was a friend of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé.
Paulo Vinicius Coelho, sports columnist for the UOL portal, referred to the «Most controversial Ballon d’Or in history» and commented that the absence of the Brazilian was the «main presence» of the award, where it was the most important topic of the evening. «Vinicius came second, behind the Spanish Rodri. France Football and UEFA, responsible for the awards, are expected to make detailed results public throughout the week. But behind the scenes of the awards ceremony, held at the Théâtre du Châtelet, it was difficult to find a conversation in which the Spanish and Brazilian clubs were not mentioned,” said the columnist.
Another UOL sports journalist, Rodrigo Mattos, the portal’s correspondent in Barcelona, criticized Rodri’s statements upon receiving the award. «Vini Jr lost the Ballon d’Or due to something subjective off the field of play. If the options were to remain silent and win or to speak and lose, his choice was the most altruistic for what was most important. And Rodri used his ‘football won’ speech, repeated by several Europeans, to justify his choice. The logical reasoning is that it would be a defeat for football if Vini Jr. won. It says a lot about the football they want», criticized Mattos.
Sports narrator Cleber Machado, the only Brazilian journalist present at the Ballon d’Or voting, confirmed that he voted for Vinicius first this year, different from his decision in 2023 when he thought he was not the best. “This year it was,” he declared.
Regarding the Brazilian’s defeat, he commented: “It may have happened that some people thought: ‘Oh, he talks a lot off the field.’ Which is absolutely absurd. It is your right. With what they do to him, I don’t know which of us would have the patience that he has.. “If it is understood that his reaction to the racist acts was detrimental to the vote, I think he has to do 10, a thousand, a million times what he does against what he suffers,” Machado reinforced.
The criticism is not just from the main Brazilian commentators, Vinicius’ fans criticized Athletico Paranaense midfielder Fernandinho for congratulating Rodri, with whom he played at Manchester City. The comment in which Fernandinho praised his Spanish colleague was followed by thousands of indignant criticisms from Brazilians who are not satisfied with the result of the international award. “Always in a bad position,” one of them told him, while others responded with some of the best photos of Vinicius in the field.
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