Manchester City fans troll Vinicius Junior with Rodri Hernandez banner | OneFootball

Manchester City and Real Madrid played the first leg of their Champions League play-off round tie at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, in what was yet another meeting between the two clubs in European football’s premier competition. One of the most iconic moments from the match actually took place pre-match, and it involved Vinicius Junior.

Back in October, Rodri Hernandez was chosen as the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or award over Vinicius, who many had expected to take home the trophy. Real Madrid were also of the belief that their player was the clear winner, but when it became known that this would not be the case, they opted to boycott the ceremony in Paris.

Earlier this week, Carlo Ancelotti defended the club’s decision to do so, but prior to the match between Man City and Real Madrid on Tuesday, home supporters displayed a banner in which they trolled Vinicius over his Ballon d’Or snub, showing Rodri holding the trophy after his win in October.

Rodri spotted the banner, and he could not resist snapping a picture. The matter was widely discussed on social media upon the banner’s revelation, with many expressing their delight at the trolling method.

The decision to give the Ballon d’Or to Rodri instead of Vinicius was one that generated a lot of controversy at the time. Real Madrid could not believe that the Brazilian superstar did not win after his efforts for the club during the 2023-24 season, which included helping them to win La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and a 15th Champions League title.

However, there is also little doubt that Rodri was a deserved winner, and the majority of Spanish football was delighted to see the La Roja star take home the award, becoming the first Spaniard to do so since Luis Suarez in the 1960s.