Ronaldo overlooks Vinicius Jr and Rodri, declaring the ‘true winner’ of the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Real Madrid icon Ronaldo Nazario has revealed his pick for the ‘real winner’ of the 2024 Ballon d’Or. While the award went to Manchester City’s Rodri, the decision sparked discontent at Real Madrid, who chose to skip the ceremony as a gesture of solidarity with their snubbed star, Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian forward had been a key figure in Real Madrid’s La Liga and Champions League triumphs, scoring 24 goals across all competitions in the 2023-24 season.

Despite Rodri’s achievements, including winning the Premier League with City and the European Championship with Spain, Ronaldo felt Vinicius deserved the award. He expressed to Marca, “Without diminishing Rodri, Vinicius should have won the Ballon d’Or. It missed the chance to crown him as the world’s best.” Ronaldo emphasized that Vinicius had been far more decisive last season.

However, Ronaldo’s true choice for the Ballon d’Or wasn’t Vinicius either. In a surprising twist, he named Real Madrid president Florentino Perez as the ‘real winner,’ praising him as a father figure who taught him much about football.

Ronaldo, who himself was a Ballon d’Or runner-up in 1996 before winning the award in 1997 and 2002, suggested Vinicius could follow a similar path and earn the prestigious honor in the coming years.