Friends and close associates of the player, speaking to Reuters, believe that Vinicius is reaping the fruits of his war on racism, and that "the world of football is not yet ready to accept a player who fights racism," stressing that the player and his club, Real Madrid, will continue to fight racism even if it costs them the Golden Ball.

Real Madrid have decided to boycott the Ballon d'Or ceremony, which will be held on Monday evening in the French capital, Paris, in protest against the club's management not awarding the award to the team's star, Brazilian Vinicius.