Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president, has hit out at journalists from four countries who ignored Vinicius Junior during the 2024 Ballon d’Or voting.
Rodri was named winner of this year’s prize ahead of Vinicius at an event in Paris in October.
The development divided opinions in world football as controversy trailed the announcement.
Perez has now slammed journalists from four countries who completely ignored Vinicius during the voting process.
He said, “If the journalists from Namibia, Uganda, Albania and Finland had not voted, Vinicius would be the Ballon d’Or [winner].
“These countries did not give Vinicius a single vote. Not one! The Finn, at least, has resigned. And he has said that he will not be part of the jury again. Look, I appreciate it.”