Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr has been left with egg on his face after comments he made to Barcelona midfielder Gavi were revealed during the embarrassing 4-0 El Clasico defeat at the weekend. The Brazilian was believed to be the favourite to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, with a leaked top 10 placing Vinicius at the top of the pile.
However, it has since been reported that the 24-year-old will not be attending the ceremony in Paris after finding out that he would, in fact, not be crowned the world player of the year. It appears this news came as a shock to the player himself, which is all the more evident based on his comments to Gavi on Saturday night.
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The Brazilian was mocked by the Spaniard on Saturday
A double from Robert Lewandowski and strikes from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha were enough for Hansi Flick’s league leaders to secure a dominant three points at the Santiago Bernabeu. The win marked the largest margin of victory for the Catalans in an El Clasico since their 5-1 triumph in 2018. As if the defeat wasn’t enough for the Madridistas, starlet Gavi made sure to remind their key player of the score, with the 20-year-old holding up four fingers toward Vinicius while engaged in a heated exchange with the forward.
According to El Chiringuito, as quoted by the Daily Mail, Vinicius responded to the taunt by telling Gavi:
“Yes, yes, but on Monday I’m going for the Ballon d’Or.”
The attacker’s comments look set to age incredibly poorly given the most recent developments surrounding Monday’s potential victor, with it now seeming like Gavi’s international teammate Rodri is the most suitable candidate to win the Ballon d’Or.
Along with Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, Carlo Ancelotti and Florentino Perez are also set to skip the awards ceremony.