'From countries we do not know!' - Florentino Perez fumes at journalists who overlooked Vinicius Jr for Ballon d'Or in stunning rant against four nations

Rodri's Ballon d'Or triumph over Vinicius Jr. in Paris this year has divided opinions in world football. While some considered the Manchester City star to be a worthy recipient of the Golden Ball, several experts and footballers believed that the Brazilian was robbed of the prize.

Amid all the debate over the Ballon d'Or, Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez has slammed journalists from four countries who completely ignored the Brazilian during the voting process. Vinicius Jr had a dream outing in club football in the 2023/24 season as he played a crucial role in Los Blancos winning the Champions League and La Liga titles. Rodri, on the other hand, won the Premier League trophy for a record fourth season in a row and then helped Spain win their second European Championship title.

At an event, the Real president 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.

"The Ballon d'Or must be organised independently and the votes for this award must be in the hands of people of recognised prestige, the coaches, so that everyone understands that their reputation is also at stake with their vote. We do not know who voted for them, from countries we do not know. For all these reasons, Real Madrid considered it appropriate not to attend this edition of the Ballon d'Or gala."

With Barcelona dropping two crucial points against Celta Vigo on Saturday, the reigning Spanish champions have a very good opportunity to reduce their margin with the league leaders on Sunday as they take on Leganes in an away fixture.