Irrespective of whether or not the results of the Ballon d’Or were leaked in reality, the fact remains that Madrid and Vinicius Jr. were confident the award was landing in the winger’s hands this year.
To go from such confidence to being told he is not the winner a few hours before the ceremony, needless to say, is heartbreaking for the Brazilian star who always dreamt of winning the prestigious individual award.
Close to a week after the ceremony, Vinicius has still not healed from the wounds he received during the Ballon d’Or snub as revealed by AS.
Time to heal
As relayed by the Spanish outlet, the Brazilian is very disappointed after missing out on his chance at glory and is still in his healing phase.
The cancellation of the game against Valencia, thus, comes at a much-needed time for Real Madrid although the conditions that led to the cancellation are indeed devastating.
Mestalla has not been easy ground for the winger in recent years, from the racist events that occurred in May 2023 to chants being prepared against him in last season’s encounter.
The Valencia fans, in fact, were preparing songs about Vinicius losing the Ballon d’Or for the game that was supposed to be held last night and even aimed to prepare a sea of yellow balloons to mock him.
Skipping the game at Mestalla, thus, will not rub salt into Vinicius’ wounds and help him recover in the comfort of home.
The Santiago Bernabeu side will defend him for the next two games, against AC Milan and Osasuna, and he will then move to the comfort of the Brazilian national team where he will again be surrounded by well-wishers.