Fans think they've worked out 'real reason' Vinicius Jr didn't win the Ballon d'Or as footage goes viral

Fans on social media think they have worked out the 'real reason' as to why Vinicius Jr didn't win the Ballon d'Or as footage has gone viral.

Manchester City star Rodri took home this year's Ballon d'Or award as he beat Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal to the prestigious individual prize.

Everyone inside the Real camp were under the impression that Vinicius Jr was set to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or following his stellar campaign last season.

He scored 24 goals across all competitions, helping his side to Champions League glory.

But the Brazilian winger was snubbed of the award as the Spanish giants boycotted the ceremony.

His failure to win the Ballon d'Or has sparked debate online as people are convinced he didn't win the award because of his bust-up with Joshua Kimmich during their Champions League semi-final clash.

Supporters think the 24-year-old blew his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or after 'disrespecting' Kimmich.

Candidates for the Ballon d'Or are judged on 'individual performances, decisive and impressive character', 'team performances and achievements' and 'fair play and class on the field'.

Based on the criteria and the footage of his incident with Kimmich resurfacing, fans are adamant the superstar player let himself down.

One X user wrote: "Don’t get this outrage about Vinicius Jr not winning the Ballon d’Or. One of the main criteria is being classy on the pitch and fair player. Based on that Vini shouldn’t even be invited to the ceremony because his behaviour is a disgrace to the sport."

A second tweeted: "Disrespecting Kimmich one of the most mature, respected players."

A third added: "I’ve seen the actual footage from the actual game and Kimmich throws the ball to Vini. Then Vini acts like an idiot so Kimmich hand him the ball directly to avoid any clownery."