Why didn't Vinícius Júnior win Ballon d'Or when he seemed to be the frontrunner? For months, press (and mostly Spanish press) have gaslighted Real Madrid and their fans that his victory was certain, but in the end he was second, losing to Rodri.
For Real Madrid, this is a disrespect for the club, one spokesperson said to El País. Sources close to Vini Jr. say he is very angry (he cancelled a party where Nike was supposed to announce new Nike special edition sneakers - the same brand that also represents Rodri - and posted on Twitter that "he would do it 10 times again if he has to".
But what led to Rodri being chosen over Vini? It seems there were two main reasons behind the decision. One of them is purely sporting: he was great at Real Madrid, key to LeLiga and Champions League victories, but not so much at the CONMEBOL Copa América, where Brazil lost in quarter finals.
On the other hand, Manchester City lost Champions League to Real Madrid, but won Premier League, and Rodri did help Spain to the UEFA Euro Cup, being chosen MVP of the competition. So, in terms of titles, they are even.
Class and fair play: a criteria that could have harmed Vini
And then there's fair play and class on the field, one of three main criteria France Football asks voters to consider. It is well known the attitude Vini Jr. shows on the field is not exactly model, frequently seen arguing and agitating rivals. It is also fair to say that many rivals take advantage of Vini's temperament and actively try to provoke him. He also suffers many racist insults, but some detractors claim he has unfairly rose as an advocate against all racism and therefore reinforce their insults against him.
The result is a vicious cycle that the 24-year-old player may never be able to leave, with as many supporters as haters that fuel his ego and let arrogance overshadow his talent. On the other hand there's Rodri, a player everybody admires for his hard work and humility, that hides away from the public eye as much as possible.
Real Madrid insists on the conspiracy: if it wasn't Vini, it should have been Carvajal
Real Madrid, however, believes there is a "boycott" against the club, thus justifying their own boycott to the ceremony, even though they still won the awards (for Best Club and Best Coach for Ancelotti) and had four players in the top 10.
"The real mistake wasn't not giving it to Vini, but using those same criteria, that they didn't give it to Carvajal", said a spokesperson to El País. If it's a matter of adding titles, Carvajal had more than any (LaLiga, Champions League and Euro Cup) and even scored in the Champions League final. "Dani knew he wasn't in the running, but now he's the one who's really hurt".
Ballon d'Or is clean and transparent: a voter explains how it is made
While Real Madrid doesn't directly point fingers, it is clear they believe it is all a conspiracy orchestrated by UEFA, supporter of the awards. Alfredo Relaño, the Spanish voter this year, rejects that theory even if he voted for Vini over Rodri, and in an interview with Spanish radio station COPE, he explained that the votes are clean and they do not receive any orders.
"I've even seen newspaper covers claiming Vinícius was going to be the winner even before I had voted myself", he told. He explained that only 100 journalists are allowed to vote, one per country, and the votes closed September 30.
He also explained that the information about which players voted each journalist is made public a few days later. Anyone can do the math later.
It can be argued whether an award like Ballon d'Or, which individualises a team sport, doesn't make much sense. Each year, France Football adds more categories (like Best Coach debuting this year, Best Club three years ago or the humanitarian Socrates Award, won by none other than Vini last year) trying to flesh out the ceremony. But there's no proof whatsoever that the award is rigged.
What is more, UEFA, whom Real Madrid is at odds due to the Super League affair, has only sponsored the event. In other words, any conspiracy against a specific club or player is out of the question: if Rodri won, it is because most journalists preferred him over Vini.