Controversies on the Men's Ballon d'Or

A snub or the right choice?

The annual Ballon d'Or ceremony happened in the afternoon on Oct. 28, at Theatre du Chatelet, Paris. In the event, many awards are given including the one for Best Men's Soccer Player.

In the last 15 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the biggest recipients of the award with eight and five, respectively. Last year, Messi was named the best player in the world, even though many people considered Erling Haaland to be the player that deserved the award most.

This year was no different. It seemed like all odds looked in favor of Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) receiving his first-ever Ballon d'Or. However, in a change of events, the real winner was Rodrigo "Rodri" Hernandez (Manchester City).

This brings up questions on how reliable the voting is, what is the criteria used, and what were the factors that ended up influencing each of these decisions.

How are the recipients selected?

The ceremony is hosted by France Football and — for the first time— UEFA.

Each year, a group of 100 journalists from all around the world are invited to vote in the Ballon d'Or. This group is selected from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries. The 100 voters receive a ballot in which they rank 10 players from the 30 nominees, each position having assigned points.

The player is to be selected not only from his actions on the field but also outside of it.

This year, the votes will only be revealed on Nov. 9. However, some of the journalists have already revealed who they voted for.

2024 Ballon d'Or

Among screams of "Vini" in the theater, the name that sounded on the announcer's microphone was Rodri's in the ceremony.

Let's analyze some of the aspects that the voters might have taken into consideration when choosing "their" winner:

Performance on the European Leagues and National Team

Rodri won the 2024 UEFA Euro with Spain. The 28-year-old was also named Player of the Tournament.

Hernandez also was one of the leaders of Manchester City to its fourth consecutive Premier League win. With the incredible city team led by manager Pep Guardiola, they also won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

On the other hand, Vinicius struggled on the Brazilian National team – the team overall has been performing less than expected from a five-time World Champion country.

However, in Europe, was where Vinicius Jr. stood out. The Brazilian led Real Madrid to a La Liga championship win, tallying 15 goals. The 24-year-old also was one of the leading players to the team's 15th Champions League win. Vinicius Jr. got one of the most important goals against Dortmund, to take the win of the Tournament.

"Fair Play" On and Off-Field and Representation

Many people have said that one of the reasons why Vinicius Jr. lost is a supposed "fair play" or provocations.

However, this provocation has been exaggerated by many outlets that have targeted the player. The actions from the 24-year-old that are directed at the racism he suffers on a daily basis on the Spanish league have been added into the "provocation" category instead of a reaction to prejudice.

Vinicius Jr. has been vocal in talking and protesting against racism in the European leagues, instead of just accepting it like many others have. He has brought attention and has changed a lot in the way teams, especially his own, deal with offenses like those.

Vinicius would've been the first Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or since 2007, one of the only black players to possibly have won the award in history.

Last year, the player won the Socrates Award given in the same ceremony for his efforts to fight racism and his foundation's acts in Brazil.

On "fair play", If being provocative is something that should take away the trophy from someone, Emiliano Martínez — who won back-to-back Goaltender of the Year — should not be considered for the award. As the netminder is one of the most provocative players in the world, and has gained suspension and charges for that.

Apart from that, its direct opponent, Rodri, was also charged with a one-game ban after singing a xenophobic chant after the Euro win alongside teammate, Álvaro Morata.

Responses to the Award

Even after winning both Men's Club of The Year and Carlo Ancelotti being named Manager of the Year, no player, coaching staff or representative from Real Madrid was at the ceremony.

With this action, the team made a clear statement on being in discordance with the final Ballon d'Or winner. Vinicius Jr. was also backed up by his Real Madrid teammates, national team, friends and other important players publicly.

The Brazilian has not made any big statements after the possible snub but has published on Instagram a photo of the Real Madrid roster with "Juntos" ("Together" in English) as the caption. Not long after the announcement, the player also took on X to post a simple and small tweet that stated a lot about how he felt.

Translation: "I will do it 10 times if needed. They are not ready."

One thing is certain, this decision will forever be marked in the history of soccer.

Sofia Miranda is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email szc6483@psu.edu.