Pep Guardiola Reacts to Vinicius Jr’s Ballon D’or Snub; Shares Take on Real Madrid Skipping the Gala

Pep Guardiola has shared his take on Vinicius Jr not winning the Ballon d’Or and Real Madrid not attending the gala in Paris.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reacted to Vinicius Jr not winning the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and Real Madrid skipping the gala at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.

Vinicius was one o the front runners for the Ballon d’Or this year, but only finished second as City’s Rodri was crowned the winner of the individual honor.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, decided to skip the event after finding out that Vinicius won’t be winning the award. Pep Guardiola, former coach and captain of Barcelona, has chimed into the topic, saying (as quoted by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo):

I have nothing to say. If they don’t want to go, they don’t go. If they don’t want to congratulate, they don’t congratulate. That’s fine. Manchester City are not here to judge what other clubs decide or what they have to do and where.

– Pep Guardiola

Addressing whether Vinicius Jr deserved to win the Ballon d’Or, the Manchester City boss added:

Did Vinicius deserve to win it? Maybe, but he didn’t. It’s the journalists who decide what they have to do. It’s the journalists who decide what they have to do. It’s not a vote of just one country, but of the whole world. There are different opinions all over the world. That’s why football is so beautiful.

– Pep Guardiola

Vinicius Jr was a pillar for Real Madrid last season as Los Blancos won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga. The Brazilian chipped in 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 appearances across competitions. Eventual winner Rodri, meanwhile, lifted the Premier League with Manchester City and the UEFA Euro 2024 with Spain.