Tuesday, November 26

Namibian journalist who did not vote for Vinícius Jr. responds to Florentino Pérez

Sergio Silva Avatar

By Sergio Silva

Nov 26, 2024, 08:48 AM EST

The recent statements by Florentino Pérez against some journalists who did not vote for Vinícius Júnior for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award They did not fall on deaf ears and this Tuesday one of those affected by the words of the president of Real Madrid spoke out.

This is Sheefeni Nikodemus, the Namibian sports journalist who did not include the Brazilian star in his voting for the first place that the Spanish Rodri ended up winning. The African called the boss of the merengue team “frustrated” for his controversial words.

“Basically I suspect they are just words from someone who is frustrated like Mr. Pérez”Nicodemus commented in a note with the radio program ‘El Larguero’ on Cadena SER in which he continued attacking the highest authority of the merengue team.

A part of the participation in the El Larguero program of the Namibian sports journalist who did not include Vinícius Júnior in his voting for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.

“That is, you feel that the people of my country and the other countries mentioned do not have a significant vote because we are inferior people”added the Namibian journalist who left out Vinícius Júnior among his picks, which were Jude Bellingham, Rodri and Lamine Yamal, in that order.

“I would just like to know, if I were from a major football nation and I didn’t agree with your opinion, what would your argument be?”asked Sheefeni Nikodemus who writes for The Namibian, one of the main newspapers in that African country.

Journalists from Namibia, Finland and El Salvador did not include Vinícius Júnior in their votes for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award, in which there had been talk for several months that the Brazilian would be the winner, something that radically changed hours before the ceremony on October 28.

The Spanish midfielder won the 2024 Ballon d'Or after Vinícius Júnior was one of the main candidates to win.
Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder, Rodri, won the 2024 Ballon d’Or after Vinícius Júnior was one of the main candidates to win the award.
Credit: Michel Euler | AP

What did Florentino Pérez say?

The president of Real Madrid spoke this Sunday for the first time in public about the voting for the 2024 Ballon d’Or that the Spanish Rodri ended up winning over Vinícius Júnior, ensuring among other things that the presence of journalists from small countries affected the Brazilian. .

“Without Namibia, Uganda, Albania and Finland, Vinicius would have won the Ballon d’Or. And, on top of that, these countries did not give Vinicius any votes (laughs). None! The Finn, at least, has resigned. And said that he will not be part of the jury again”commented Pérez in a Real Madrid assembly.

The Merengue boss also considered that if the Brazilian star had not won, some other player from the Madrid team must have won, such as Dani Carvajal, who in addition to his successes with the club won the Euro 2024 just like Rodri.

Keep reading:
– Lamine Yamal will not be with FC Barcelona in the Champions League but could return for the weekend
– Why won’t Vinícius Júnior be with Real Madrid to face Liverpool in the Champions League?
– Carlo Ancelotti spoke about Federico Valverde: “He is the best full-back in the world after Carvajal and Lucas Vásquez”