'King of Men' SLAMS Real Madrid for Vini Jr. Ballon d'Or Boycott

Real Madrid have received heavy condemnation for their boycott of the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony from a surprising source.

Viggo Mortensen is a Hollywood actor best known for playing Aragorn, The King of Men, in The Lord of The Rings trilogy of films.

He is also a committed Madridista, a fan of Real Madrid, likely owing to his childhood spent in Argentina (he is also a proud fan of Argentine club San Lorenzo).

And Aragorn had plenty to say about Real Madrid not going to the 2024 Ballon d'Or in support of Vini Jr. (who they feel was robbed as Man City's Rodri won the award), penning a letter to Spanish paper El Pais.

"Real Madrid, after finding out that their spoiled child was not going to win the Ballon d’Or and the child was furious and sad, said that the club does not go where it is not respected. And the decision was made to support Vinicius Jr. and his tantrum about not going to Paris for the awards ceremony," said Mortensen.

He continued: “It’s being a bad loser, period. I am a Real Madrid fan, but I think that if the club does not go where it is not respected, it is the club’s fault for this type of stupidity, this unsportsmanlike and arrogant conduct. Hala Madrid! always, but how embarrassed this makes me.”

A letter from a person by the name of Viggo Mortensen published in today's El País.

The American actor is a Real Madrid fan.

Qué vergüenza: What an embarrassment. pic.twitter.com/wVc9nE75Ov

— Brendan Boyle (@BrendyBoyle) October 30, 2024

A King's Nobility vs. toxic entitlement

Aragorn's distaste for the childish petulence Madrid have show since they found out Vini wasn't going to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or (they had been treating him as the obvious winner since Rodri's horrible injury) will ring true for many football fans.

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The way in which Los Blancos conducted themselves does not befit a club of their size and stature, a club who literally have the word "Royal" in their name and yet have behaved like anything but royalty.

And while many have fallen into line and cowered behind the baffling and unsportsmanlike behaviour of the Real Madrid club hierarchy, Viggo Mortensen had the moral clarity to speak out.

His letter felt like a clarion call to Madridistas everywhere to stand proudly against this mentality of toxic entitlement poisoning football like it has politics.

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It recalled, almost perfectly, Aragorn's speech to the armies of men before their final battle at The Black Gate of Mordor. A message that many young men should heed.

A DAY MAY COME WHEN THE COURAGE OF MEN FAILS, WHEN WE FORSAKE OUR FRIENDS AND BREAK ALL BONDS OF FELLOWSHIP.

BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY.

AN HOUR OF WOLVES AND SHATTERED SHIELDS WHEN THE AGE OF MEN COMES CRASHING DOWN.

BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY!

THIS DAY WE FIGHT!!

BY ALL THAT YOU HOLD DEAR ON THIS GOOD EARTH...

I BID YOU STAND; MEN OF THE WEST!!!