The 'dart' that this Madrid player threw after being left out of the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or

If there is one club that has a strong presence when it comes to the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, that is Real Madrid. The Merengue team, after a successful 2023/24 campaign where they were crowned champions of LaLiga EA Sports, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Champions League, managed to include six of their players on the list, seven if Kylian Mbappé is counted, who also appears in the top as a player of Paris Saint-Germain: Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rüdiger, Federico Valverde. This positions the Chamartín squad as one of the clubs with the most players in this ranking.

🏆✨ ¡@BellinghamJude, @DaniCarvajal92, @ToniKroos, @KMbappe, @ToniRuediger, @fedeevalverde, y @ViniJr, nominados al Balón de Oro 2024! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/BaVkbtufgE

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 4, 2024

However, the absence of Rodrygo Goes on this list is surprising. The player from Osasco, despite being a crucial element in the offensive front of the white squad in the 2023/24 season, scoring 17 goals and providing nine assists in 51 matches, was not considered among the top 30 footballers of the past season. This led to the former Santos player expressing his discontent through social media.

The number 11 of the Merengue team, through his Instagram account @rodrygogoes, upon learning of his exclusion from the list, shared a story showing a collage of six photos of himself: three lifting the trophies he won with Real Madrid this season (La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, and Champions League), and three in key moments of the campaign where his contribution was crucial, such as in the Champions League knockout stages against Manchester City and Bayern Munich. This post was accompanied by an emoji indicating his puzzlement and another 'crying' with laughter.

🚨⚪️ Rodrygo after being excluded from Ballon d’Or top 30 nominees. pic.com/hNUu1AT3F7

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 4, 2024

Neymar Jr.'s Support for Rodrygo Goes' 'Complaint'

Interestingly, another influential figure in the world of football has also spoken out on social media to support Rodrygo Goes in his disappointment at not being nominated. Who is it? The former FC Barcelona player, Neymar Jr., who, through his Instagram profile, shared a story in support of his compatriot with the message: "at least 'top 5' in the world, crack", thus questioning an absence that currently seems to lack a clear justification.