Vinicius Jr was completely overlooked by three pundits as he lost out on the Ballon d'Or. The Brazilian star appeared the favourite going into last month's glamorous ceremony.
However, after learning that he had been narrowly beaten to the prestigious award by Manchester City midfielder Rodri, the winger and Real Madrid decided not to attend the event in Paris.
Rodri clinched the trophy following his outstanding performances for the current Premier League champions while he also played a crucial role in Spain's Euro 2024 victory.
It has now emerged just how tight the voting was, with L'Equipe revealing the final standings. A panel of 99 judges voted for the Ballon d'Or, each selecting their top ten players globally.
Each first-place vote received 15 points, followed by 12, 10, eight, seven, five and so on, with the final player on each list earning just one point.
Rodri topped the list with 1170 points, 41 ahead of closest competitor Vinicius. Despite the Brazilian winger finishing second with 1129 points, he was snubbed by three journalists.
Vinicius did not make the top ten of three voters, despite his exceptional form for Real Madrid. His team-mate at the Bernabeu, Jude Bellingham, trailed behind with 917 points.
The Spanish club were incensed by the final result and boycotted the ceremony.
Real Madrid released a statement at the time, saying: "If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner. As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected."
Following the controversy, former Brazil star Rivaldo has criticised Vinicius Jr and urged him to focus on his performances. He said: "Vinicius has to get this Ballon d'Or story out of his head, start playing again and start playing well for Real Madrid, who have to win games after two consecutive defeats. Vinicius is young, he has the age and the football to turn all this around.
"One day he will win the Ballon d'Or. He could be the best in the world one or more times. Do all the journalists who vote really understand football? Are all of them, absolutely all of them, really qualified people?
"I can't underestimate Rodri. He's a player I like. For me he was my second candidate. And yes, although I think Vinicius deserved the Ballon d'Or more, I can't take away any merit from the award, because I really admire Rodri. His way of playing and his style. I like him."
