Manchester City fans taunted Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr with a banner showing Rodri clutching the Ballon d’Or during the two sides’ Champions League clash.
Manchester City hosted the first leg of a heavyweight play-off tie at the Etihad Stadium as two potential tournament contenders look to preserve their place in the competition.
The meeting comes months after Rodri denied Vinicius the prestigious prize awarded to the best men’s footballer in the world, with the Spaniard voted narrowly to the award.
Real Madrid reacted furiously at a perceived slight, boycotting the awards ceremony in October and releasing a statement saying that they were “not respected” by the voters in a year in which they won a Champions League and La Liga double.
While Rodri was absent from the play-off tie due to his ACL injury, sections of the home support poked fun at Vinicius and Real Madrid with an Oasis-themed banner.
“Stop crying your heart out,” the banner read, displaying the Manchester City midfielder embracing his trophy.
Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid manager, defended the boycott of the ceremony ahead of the Champions League first leg.
“I don’t think it was the wrong decision,” the veteran coach said. “We thought Vini was the winner of the Ballon D’Or. It doesn’t mean we don’t respect Rodri because he is a fantastic player. I think Rodri deserved to win it the year before.”
Rodri steered Spain to Euro 2024 success as well as winning another Premier League with his club.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola dismissed the contoversy: “I was happy for Rodri but Vinicius made an extraordinary year as well.. He could deserve it, like in the past when [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano [Ronaldo] were fighting for it. So, the subject is over.”
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