The assignment of Golden Ball for the 2023-2024 season to the Spanish midfielder Rodri has caused controversy in Spain – Real Madrid expected to win with one of Vinicius Jr., Carvajal e Bellingham and for this reason he deserted the award ceremony – but even more so in Brazil, birthplace of Vinicius Jr., star of the merengues and favourite on the eve of the match, where he has become a real political case. The South American country has not won the trophy since 2007 with Kakà, and this time it seemed a done deal, with Vini effectively the protagonist of a great season, culminating with victories in La Liga and the Champions League.
Rodri's great victory in the summer with Spain probably weighed in his favor, while the Real Madrid striker failed to score in the Copa America with his national team. But in Brazil they don't think that way., and mindful of the racist attacks suffered by Vinicius in the Spanish championship, they put 1+1 together and attributed the choice of the Manchester City midfielder to the express desire to mock the Brazilian for his battles off the pitch, while also humiliating him because the party was already ready, with the sponsor Nike even having created special shoes to celebrate the event.
Ballon d'Or to Rodri, what happened and why
“Europe is racist”. “Europe hates Brazil”. “Vini didn’t win because he’s black”. “What matters is the colour of your skin and the continent”. This is the tone of tens of thousands of comments that have appeared on social media in recent days, during which nothing else has been talked about even at high levels. Forgetting that several black players have won the award in the past, including Brazilians, and that in general South Americans have certainly not been discriminated against since the only Lionel Messi he brought it home 8 times, several personalities from the world of sport, culture and even institutions have taken a position on the case.
Il President Lula, who in the past had openly defended Vinicius on cases of racism, did not personally intervene this time, but did not give up on relaunching on his official channels a post by the Ministry of Sport, which expressed solidarity with the footballer by writing: "In the fight against racism, the best in the world is ours". Even more explicit was the position taken by the Minister for Racial Equality Anielle Franco, who spoke on television recalling the memorandum of understanding signed last year with the Spanish government for the fight against racism: “It is unacceptable that, in 2024, racism still has a bearing on the recognition of black athletes”.
Golden Ball to Rodri, Vini's Vitriol Reaction
In Brazil, in fact, although the Spanish justice system has identified and with an unprecedented decision sentenced to prison those responsible for the racist insults towards Vinicius in the stadiums, the idea has spread that Spain is an openly racist country, and consequently all of Europe, while the player has become icon of fair play and Black Lives Matter, often depicted with his fist raised like Tommie Smith at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Vini himself, in the hours following the ceremony that should have seen him awarded, threw fuel on the fire by publishing a very harsh message on twitter: “I will do it ten more times if necessary. They are not ready.” One might ask: ready for what? And who are they? If Vini did not win the Ballon d'Or, it is not only the fault of “the Europeans”: 100 journalists from all over the world vote for the award, one per country at most, and in many cases it is precisely among the delegates from other continents that other players were preferred, such as his compatriot Rodrygo (this is what the Chinese and Ukrainian journalists decided for example) or like Bellingham. Mbappe or Nico Williams, also black. The Spanish vote, for example, went to him, preferring him to the home-grown heroes Rodri and Carvajal: the very country that would be discriminating against him the most, according to a certain narrative, actually voted for him in first place.
Unlike Latin American countries, such as El Salvador, which did not even include it in the top ten list. The truth is that rather than accept the verdict, as questionable as it may seem to many (including Europeans), Vini is poisoning the wells, hurling public opinion in his country against the European football system.
Golden Ball to Rodri, the experts speak out
Walter Casagrande, an old acquaintance of our football and now a recognized commentator in Brazil, argued that "many people do not realize they are racist and think that Vini should only think about playing football", rather than taking on the role of the Malcolm X of the situation. Marcelo Carvalho, of the Brazilian Football Anti-Racism Observatory, wrote that Vini's is "a case of intangible racism. Some will say that it is not violence, but it is. This is how black athletes are silenced, putting their mental health and their work at risk. When you are black you have to be twice as good".
Interpretations that are absolutely worth questioning, even if it is impossible not to admit that in football and in sport in general there has never been a lack of – and how could it be otherwise – recognition for non-white athletes. It is likely that there was intolerance on the part of the football institutions for Vinicius' outbursts against a system that actually tends not to address the problem of racism as it should, but it is difficult to imagine a generalized hatred of Europe against him for being black or Brazilian. Indeed, even on our continent Vini has many fans who supported him and were indignant, exactly like the Brazilians, at not seeing the award attributed to him.
Finally, without forgetting that the criteria for awarding the Ballon d'Or also include “class and fair play”, a quality that the Brazilian has honestly not always demonstrated on the pitch. On the other hand, the Madrid ace has already consoled himself by becoming, also thanks to the resonance of his anti-racist commitment, a real golden goose: his brand, the Jr Wines SA, has a turnover of over 300 million reais per year (50 million euros) and is among the 0,1% richest companies in Brazil. Not bad, in a country where almost 50% of the wealth is in the hands of 1% of the population, and that 1% is made up of practically all whites.
