Aurelien Tchouameni has come out in support of Vinicius Jr after the Brazil winger missed out on the 2024 Ballon d'Or in favour of Rodri.
It was announced in Paris on Monday that the Manchester City star had won the award ahead of Vinicius, who refused to attend the ceremony along with the entire Real Madrid squad.
Vinicius had enjoyed his best season to date at Real Madrid last campaign, scoring 15 goals on Madrid's route to La Liga glory, as well as scoring in the club's Champions League victory.
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Following the confirmation of Rodri's victory, Vini's teammates took to social media to show their disgust that the winger hadn't been chosen.
One of the first to jump to his colleague's defense was Tchouameni, who showed his support via X.
The French midfielder posted: "Nothing will take away what you’ve achieved my brother. We ALL know… They are not ready for what you’re gonna deliver. Love."
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Tchouameni wasn't the only player to speak out, with Vini's international teammate Richarlison calling the decision to snub Vini 'embarrassing.'
After the ceremony, France Football's Chief Editor Vincent Garcia, was bombarded with questions on the situation.
“It was close. Vinícius probably suffered from the presence of Jude Bellingham & Dani Carvajal in Top 5.”
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Garcia claimed that individuals at Madrid insisted they were told the winner prior to the ceremony, however, after France Football refused they assumed Vini had missed out.
“Real Madrid put pressure on me to know if Vini won, and maybe my silence made them think Viní lost, so they didn't show up," he explained.
Top 30 Ballon d'Or rankings in full:
30.Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine, Dnipro / Girona / Roma)
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29.Mats Hummels (Germany, Borussia Dortmund)
28.Alex Grimaldo (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)
27.Vitinha (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)
26.Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)
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25.Cole Palmer (England, Chelsea)
24.William Saliba (France, Arsenal)
23.Ruben Dias (Portugal, Manchester City)
22.Antonio Rudiger (Germany, Real Madrid)
21.Bukayo Saka (England, Arsenal)
20.Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey, Inter)
19.Martin Odegaard (Norway, Arsenal)
18.Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)
17.Federico Valverde (Uruguay, Real Madrid)
16.Granit Xhaka (Switzerland, Bayer Leverkusen)
15.Nico Williams (Spain, Athletic Club)
14.Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, Atalanta)
13.Dani Olmo (Spain, RB Leipzig / Barcelona)
12.Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen)
11.Phil Foden (England, Manchester City)
10.Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich)
9.Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
8.Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
7.Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, Inter Milan)
6.Kylian Mbappe (France, PSG / Real Madrid)
5.Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
4.Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)
3.Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)
2.Vinicius Jr (Brazil, Real Madrid)
1.Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)
Topics: Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr, Aurelien Tchouameni, Rodri, Ballon d'Or, Manchester City, La Liga
Tom Jenkins