Spanish forward Jennifer Hermoso’s brother Rafa Hermoso has made a stunning revelation that Vinicius Junior was initially named the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.
The Real Madrid star was among the top favorites for the prestigious individual honor but it later went to Manchester City’s Rodri, who guided the club to a Premier League title that year and Spain to the Euro 2024 glory.
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However, the midfielder’s win still caused a stir as Vinicius was thought to have made a bigger impact that year, playing an instrumental role in helping Real Madrid to La Liga, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup titles with 24 goals in all competitions.
He eventually finished second to Rodri in the final rankings by just 41 votes.
Now in a jaw-dropping revelation by Rafa Hermoso, brother of prolific Spanish forward Jennifer Hermoso, the Brazilian was apparently informed that he’d won the Golden Ball.
In the comments section of an Instagram post featuring Vinicius Junior and Jennifer Hermoso, he’s written the following:
“Mirad, I’m going to tell you a secret that almost no one knows, but I think I can already tell it. I’m trying to summarize. I invited him to my house for dinner to talk about something important. He was told that he won the Ballon d’Or (which already had a place in a showcase to put it). So my sister was given a social merit award or something like that. And… it ended up that my sister handed over the Ballon d’Or and Vinicius handed over the award to my sister. And you all know what happened next.”
Vinicius was rumored to have been told just before the ceremony that he wouldn’t be winning the Ballon d’Or, and ultimately finished as the runners-up.
Vinicius nominated for Ballon d’Or again
France Football recently announced a 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or and Vinicius Junior has once again made the cut.
He struck 22 times for Real Madrid in 53 games, but a trophy eluded him last season. The winger then carried that form into 2026 FIFA World Cup for Brazil where he bagged a team-high of four goals, but the side were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Norway.
Vinicius’ Real Madrid teammate and France star Kylian Mbappe has also been nominated, while PSG’s Ousmane Dembele is gunning for a second award in a row. Bayern Munich star Harry Kane and Manchester City ace Erling Haaland are in the mix too.
Edited by Nived Zenith
