Present at the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Clarence Seedorf expressed his disappointment over Vinicius Junior’s absence from the winners’ list and supported the conspiracy theory raised by Real Madrid.
Following Monday morning’s revelation that Vinicius was not the Ballon d’Or winner, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez decided to boycott the event, alleging a supposed UEFA ploy in the Spanish press. The club, embroiled in a longstanding conflict with UEFA over the proposed European Super League with Barcelona, suspects that this rivalry may have influenced the selection of the winner. Despite the Ballon d’Or being organized by France Football, the Amaury group, which owns L’Équipe and France Football, partnered with UEFA last year to help organize the ceremony.
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Responding to the controversy surrounding Vinicius’ absence, Clarence Seedorf made a striking statement on the red carpet. The former player endorsed Real Madrid’s conspiracy theory, saying, “I believe the tensions between Real Madrid and UEFA have affected the results. Vinicius fully deserved this trophy. Administrative disputes should be kept separate from these types of awards,” he told TNT. Seedorf, who played for Real Madrid from 1996 to 1999, is a staunch supporter of the club, having won his second Champions League title with them in 1998, following a victory in 1995 with Ajax. He later added two more European championships with AC Milan (2003 and 2007), becoming the only player in history to win the Champions League with three different clubs.
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