There’s something about the Ballon d’Or. While a sense of hope and excitement fills the air before this prestigious award is handed to one of the 30 nominees, the aftermath can sometimes take an unexpected turn. Take the 2024 Golden Ball for example, where Rodri defeated the top favorite, Vinicius Jr., to claim the award. The surprising result left many in disbelief, sparking a wave of online discussion that saw Cristiano Ronaldo trending across the internet.

Why you ask? Well, let’s walk down memory lane to hear some of the claims that the Portuguese superstar has made regarding these individual accolades. In a conversation with the RECORD last year, he had said, “Ballon d’Or and [FIFA] The Best are losing credibility,” with a clear indication that these awards are not fair in his eyes.

Now fans will hint at the irony saying this claim was made shortly after his arch-rival Lionel Messi, with whom he has shared the stage for over a decade in this award ceremony, lifted his 8th historic Ballon d’Or. However, it’s not like, in Ronaldo’s eyes, the Argentinian didn’t deserve the award or it should have been won by the likes of Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland. Instead, his simple explanation is, “I simply no longer believe in these awards.”

Why? What exactly happened that Ronaldo—a 5 time Ballon d’Or winner himself—somehow lost faith in the very same awards he lifted? It shouldn’t be a no-brainer after looking at what he said about these awards. Clearly, the 39-year-old is not a fan of how the voting takes place, and the results are announced accordingly. 

For the unversed: The voters include a “diverse international jury” consisting of national team coaches and captains from a selection of FIFA’s 209 national associations. Additionally, also in the group are “special journalists” from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries. While we’re not sure how these special folks are selected, rules state: “Only one journalist per country may vote. They are allowed to select players who play in or are affiliated with their own country.” Each jury member must pick three players in order of preference. FIFA then awards the top pick five points, and the rest, three points and one point, respectively. Interesting, rumors suggest Ronaldo even refused to cast his vote this year…

According to a report from Goal, France Football (the official presenter of the Ballon d’Or) editor Vincent Garcia himself admitted to the Times that Ronaldo isn’t a fan of the awards ruling anymore, even more so that he had already snubbed the voting as well as his eagerness to attend the ceremony. “Winners have the right to come back to all future ceremonies but they don’t all come, some are very upset with us,” said Garcia.

“I don’t know for certain Cristiano is, I don’t talk to him directly, but I know for example that former winners vote for the Kopa Trophy—for the best young player—and Cristiano didn’t vote last year and he didn’t vote this year either,” concluded the editor, suggesting Ronaldo’s anger is obvious.

However, the Al Nassr star isn’t alone as now fans also seem to be turning their backs on the Ballon d’Or.

Soccer world denounces Ballon d’Or

Now even the soccer world is ready to boycott Ballon d’Or, especially after the latest win of Rodri over Vinicius Junior. Ardent fans are echoing Ronaldo’s claims on X, formerly Twitter, to question the credibility of these awards.

‘Robbed’, ‘Stole’, and ‘Rigged’ were among some of the words that echoed on social media. One fan, however, took it up a notch as he wrote: “Today, without a doubt is dark day in football. It should be written as one of the biggest robberies in football history”

One social media user, on the other hand, pointed out what he thought was a concerning pattern: “King Carlo Ancelotti is the Manager of the Year. Real Madrid is the Team of the Year. It’s now clear that the Ballon d’Or Awards committee have a sinister agenda against Vinicius Jr.”

To add more fuel to the fire, Real Madrid even skipped out on attending the award ceremony. “BREAKING: Vinicius Jr will NOT travel to Paris as Real Madrid know he will NOT win the Ballon d’Or…No one from Real Madrid will attend the ceremony. No Florentino Pérez, no Vini Jr, no Carlo Ancelotti, no Jude Bellingham…Real Madrid’s directors are furious. They are certain that Vini Jr will not win the Ballon d’Or. The Real delegation remains in Spain,” French journalist Fabrice Hawkins had revealed on X.

We don’t know about any particular biases against Real Madrid, but we do know that Vinicius Junior’s Ballon d’Or snub has sparked concerns of racism, with many claiming the Brazilian forward not being awarded the Golden Ball ahead of Rodri due to clear discrimination. “Today, football lost and racism triumphed. Vini Jr. was robbed of recognition and respect, and it’s truly heartbreaking, hmm. It’s disheartening to see talent and hard work overshadowed by prejudice. This should be a celebration of skill and determination, yet we find ourselves confronting the harsh reality of discrimination. We must continue to stand against racism in all its forms and support our players who face such unfair treatment,” a tweet read, while another stated, “Rigged. Robbery. France Football is racist”.

Interestingly, this corroborates to what sources also allege. After the defending La Liga champions cancelled their Paris trip, Vini Jr took to X to lament, “I will do it 10 times if I have to. They’re not ready.” When asked by Reuters what the 24-year-old meant, his management revealed that the player believes his fight against racism is what led to losing the ‘Golden Ball’, and that “the football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system”. 

Having said that, one fan questioned if modern soccer is just about money now. Looks like Rodri’s happy win is again going to be marred by such assertions, something which remains to be seen how France Football addresses.

This is just a glimpse of what you saw, but one thing is clear; the 2024 Ballon d’Or has once again separated the soccer fraternity. But which side are you on? Let us know in the comments.