It’s been a week since Rodri was officially crowned the best player in the world—assuming the Ballon d’Or is the definitive mark of that title. Yet, a large part of the football community, including American sportswear giant Nike, expected Vinicius Jr. to win, and his loss has inspired an unexpected new campaign.
On Sunday night, images of Nike’s latest billboard in London featuring Vinicius Jr. began circulating on X (formerly Twitter). The Brazilian, a Nike athlete, appearing on their billboard wasn’t unusual. But the caption caught everyone’s attention:
“Does Vini Jr. play tennis?”
This wasn’t an ad for tennis gear. Rather, it’s widely seen as a subtle yet powerful question aimed at the journalists who voted for Rodri, questioning if they overlooked Vinicius because he wasn’t, in fact, playing football.
🤔𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐉𝐫. 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬?
Nike’s latest billboard in London says it all: disbelief that the Real Madrid winger didn’t take home the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
Did Vinicius really deserve the number one spot over Rodri? pic.twitter.com/AnFukVmRcw
— Eleventh Minute (@eleventhmin) November 4, 2024
What’s also intriguing is that Nike, who also sponsors Rodri, congratulated the Spanish midfielder last Monday with a post that read: “A position that doesn’t get the limelight. A season that demands it.”
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Several pundits worldwide have hailed Rodri as a worthy Ballon d’Or winner—a claim well-supported by his achievements. He was pivotal in Manchester City’s Premier League triumph and also lifted the Euros with Spain. But how has Vinicius Jr. responded to this heartbreak?
Vinicius had big plans to celebrate his anticipated Ballon d’Or win with his Real Madrid teammates and family, as he was scheduled to fly to Paris from Brazil. Nike had also prepared several campaigns centered around Vini’s predicted Ballon d’Or victory, including the release of a special pair of golden boots dedicated to him.
All was going well—until the hiccup arose when Rodri’s name was announced at the ceremony.
Apparently, Real Madrid anticipated Rodri’s win, which is why they chose not to travel to Paris for the gala—a debatable decision.
Feeling personally snubbed, Vini took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare, “They’re not ready.”
Since the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony, Vinicius hasn’t played a match. Real Madrid’s weekend La Liga fixture against Valencia was canceled due to regional floods, and they are scheduled to face Milan on matchday four of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
