'GROSS' Vini Jr should be DISQUALIFIED from Ballon d’Or – Real Madrid star destroyed by TV presenter

Robin Bairner

• 2 Nov 2024 16:45 GMT
• 2 min read

Vinicius Junior continues to suffer the fallout from his Ballon d’Or no-show, with the behaviour of the Real Madrid attacker described as “arrogant” and “gross” by a popular television presenter.

NBC’s Rebecca Lowe demolished the 24-year-old Brazil star for failing to show his face at the Ballon d’Or awards gala in Paris on Monday after he learned that he would not be winning the coveted prize.

She described Vinicius Junior’s plans for celebrating the gong as being “off the scale” in a devastating rebuke of the player, who lost out to Rodri.

Speaking on It’s Called Soccer alongside Gary Neville, she said: “It was so unbelievably classless.

“Vinicius Jr flew over his family from Brazil – super arrogant. Set up two parties: one in Paris after the event - like booked a place, organised it – and one in Madrid when he returned as the number one.

“Nike, who have a part to play in this, released a Ballon d’Or boot.

“The arrogance is off the scale and outrageous. Vini should be disqualified for the arrogance, it’s so outrageous.

“Then you see Rodri's speech. You see the difference… It’s actually gross what Vini did.”

’Real Madrid in entitled seal’

Neville was in full agreement with Lowe.

“Rodri’s a class act on and off the pitch,” he said in response. “I would’ve hoped – and you don’t tend to get this about Real Madrid players because there’s an entitled seal about the club – that he Vinicius Junior would have still travelled to the awards, that he would’ve invited Rodri to his party after and said to him: ‘Well done, you’re an amazing player’.

“We don’t get that. There were five Real Madrid players who were awarded trophies or awards of some kind and none of them turned up. Vinicius is a special talent, but the idea you take the glory away, I just think is classness, I agree with you completely.”