'They're not ready' — Vinicius Jr reacts to losing Ballon d'Or to Rodri

Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr has reacted to losing the Ballon d'Or award to Manchester City star Rodri.

France Football announced their placements for their 30-man list of the Ballon d'Or, and Rodri, who won the Premier League and European Championships, sat atop the pile, ahead of Vinicius (2nd) and Jude Bellingham (3rd)

Despite France Football’s promise to keep their cards close to their chest for this edition of the award, rumours surfaced earlier in the day, revealing that Vinicius would not win the award. 

The conspicuous absence of a Real Madrid entourage lent credence to the rumours, and reports claimed that Los Blancos had confirmed the Brazil international was passed over and hence had boycotted the gala, as they felt aggrieved.  

There has been an outpouring of solidarity from teammates of the winger, with many taking to social media to declare him deserving of the award. 

Vinicius himself, seemingly convinced he deserved to win the prize, wore his heart on his sleeves in a Twitter post, stating he would amp up his performance to ensure he takes home the gong in subsequent editions. “I'll do it 10x if I have to. They're not ready,” he shared on X.