Finland Journalist Resigns From Ballon d'Or Jury After His Mistake in Not Voting for Vinicius Junior
- A journalist has resigned from the Ballon d'Or jury after admitting he made an error by not voting for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior
- Vinicius Junior responded to his 2024 Ballon d'Or snub with an amazing hat-trick as Real Madrid thumped Osasuna
- Since finishing second to Rodri for the Golden Ball Award, Vinicius has scored four goals in his last two matches
Finnish journalist Juha Kanerva has stepped down from the Ballon d'Or jury after acknowledging an error in his voting.
Just under two weeks after Vinícius Júnior narrowly lost the 2024 Ballon d'Or to Rodri, the winger responded with a hat trick against Osasuna on Saturday, November 9.
The Brazilian forward brought the Santiago Bernabéu crowd to its feet, opening the scoring for Real Madrid in the 34th minute.
Source: Getty Images
The Brazilian received the ball from Jude Bellingham on the left wing, dribbled into the box, weaving past three defenders, and fired a right-footed shot into the net.
This goal ended Real Madrid's three-game drought from open play and marked Vinícius Jr.'s second since missing out on the Ballon d'Or.
The 24-year-old celebrated briefly with teammates before running over to embrace Carlo Ancelotti, per ESPN.
Vinicius completes superb hattrick
Jude Bellingham's season-opening goal doubled Real Madrid's lead just before halftime, but it was Vinícius Jr. who extended the scoring in the second half.
In the 61st minute, Andriy Lunin delivered a brilliant pass that put Vinícius through on goal.
The Brazilian skillfully dribbled past Sergio Herrera and casually slotted a no-look finish into the open net.
Finnish journalist resigns from Ballon d'Or jury
Vinicius' displays have convinced Finnish journalist Kanerva to step down from the Ballon d'Or jury after admitting a mistake in his voting.
The Madrid Zone account highlighted that Kanerva was one of just three journalists who didn’t include Vinicius in his top 10 list. Kanerva openly acknowledged his error in response.
"My technical error. I'm going to resign from the Ballon d'Or jury," Kanerva said in his response via Tribuna.
His resignation comes after facing significant criticism for his voting choice, and he has taken full responsibility for the oversight.
Journalist explains why he snubbed Vinicius
YEN.com.gh also reported that, it appears Vinicius missed out on the Ballon d'Or in part due to his exclusion from the top 10 rankings by three journalists, one of whom was Bruno Perezio from El Salvador.
When asked about his choice, Perezio explained: “I did not consider Vinicius Jr in my top 10 vote because he is not an example for Fair Play.
"He is a good player, but lacks respect for his opponents."
New feature: Сheck out news that is picked for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!
Source: YEN.com.gh
