Vinicius Jr. has shed light on why he did not attend the Ballon d’Or gala in October, where his Real Madrid teammate Rodri won the prestigious award.

The Brazilian forward made it clear that he holds no grudges over the voting process, even though he was one of the strong contenders for the prize.

“I did not feel betrayed because people vote what they believe,” Vini explained.

“I believe in myself, my teammates too. Many people gave me a lot of support to continue playing well.”

While winning the Ballon d’Or was never a lifelong ambition for him, Vinicius admitted that being close to claiming the award sparked excitement.

“I have never dreamed of winning the Ballon d’Or, but of course, when you are close to win it [you get excited],” he added.

Addressing the decision to skip the gala, Vinicius hinted that he would have attended had he been allowed to.

“The club made the decision not to go. They asked me to stay in Madrid, and I agreed,” he revealed.

Real Madrid opted to boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony, citing bias and disrespect from the event organizers. Despite their absence, Los Blancos were still recognised as the Club of the Year at the gala.

With Vinicius continuing to shine on the pitch, it may not be long before he finds himself in contention for the award again.