Why did Vinicius not win the Ballon d'Or?

Real Madrid chief blames one man

Florentino Perez points finger at Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has blamed Carlo Ancelotti for Vinicius Junior's failure to win the Ballon d'Or at this year's awards.

The Brazilian winger was one of the favourites for the award after a stunning season in which he helped Real Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga.

But he finished seventh in the voting, behind Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.

Perez believes that Ancelotti's decision to play Vinicius out of position in the second half of the season cost him the Ballon d'Or.

"Vinicius is a great player," Perez said. "He has the potential to be the best player in the world."

"But Carlo Ancelotti did not play him in his best position in the second half of the season. He played him out of position, and he did not play him enough."

"If Ancelotti had played him in his best position, and if he had played him more, I am sure he would have won the Ballon d'Or."

Ancelotti has defended his decision to play Vinicius out of position, saying that he did so to get the best out of the team.

"I played Vinicius in different positions because I wanted to get the best out of him," Ancelotti said.

"I think he is a great player, and I believe that he can be the best player in the world."

"But he needs to keep working hard, and he needs to continue to improve his game."

It remains to be seen whether Vinicius will be able to win the Ballon d'Or in the future.

But if he can continue to perform at the same level, and if Ancelotti can find a way to get the best out of him, then there is no reason why he cannot challenge for the world's most prestigious individual award.