After the announcement of the 2024 Ballon d\u2019Or winner, Karim Benzema openly expressed disappointment for his former Real Madrid teammate, Vinicius Jr., who missed out on the award. The Brazilian winger, regarded by many as a top contender, lost to Manchester City\u2019s Rodri, stirring mixed reactions within the football community.<\/p>\n
Benzema revealed Vinicius\u2019s emotional response, saying, \u201cI spoke to Vinicius; he was sad, and that\u2019s understandable.\u201d The former Real Madrid star himself seemed visibly frustrated, emphasizing how Vinicius\u2019 on-field impact stands out more than Rodri\u2019s. \u201cI don\u2019t have any issue with Rodri\u2014he\u2019s a good player. But watching him on TV, there\u2019s nothing that makes me say \u2018wow\u2019 like Vinicius does,\u201d Benzema stated.<\/p>\n
Rodri\u2019s victory has sparked significant debate, with fans and pundits questioning the criteria used by voters. Despite the backlash, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola defended the voting process, highlighting its global nature: \u201cMaybe Vinicius should have won, but the choice is made by journalists from around the world, not an elite few.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benzema\u2019s comments underscore a broader sentiment among fans and players who feel Vinicius\u2019 performance and flair deserved the highest recognition. As discussions around the award continue, it\u2019s clear the Ballon d\u2019Or outcome remains a hot topic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After the announcement of the 2024 Ballon d\u2019Or winner, Karim Benzema openly expressed disappointment for his former Real Madrid teammate, Vinicius Jr., who missed out on the award. The Brazilian winger, regarded by many as a top contender, lost to Manchester City\u2019s Rodri, stirring mixed reactions within the football community. Benzema revealed Vinicius\u2019s emotional response, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":24472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n