Vinicius Junior celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday, and many congratulated him. However, it seems that the Ballon d’Or, in one way or another, wanted to mock the Real Madrid star.
It is well known that Vinicius was close to winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but he was informed on the day of the ceremony that he had lost the award to Manchester City’s Rodri, despite the Brazilian having done everything he could for Real Madrid the previous season. This caused a major disappointment, the effects of which may still be felt today.
The official Ballon d’Or account posted a photo of Vinicius Junior with the caption, “Happy Birthday Vinicius, winner of the 2023 Socrates Award.”
Happy birthday to the 2023 Socrates Award winner, Vinicius Jr!#ballondor pic.twitter.com/dhPgHva9vM
— Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) July 12, 2025
The Socrates Award, awarded by France Football magazine to the best humanitarian work by a footballer worldwide, is presented during a ceremony held jointly with the Ballon d’Or. Vinicius won the award in 2023 for his efforts in combating racism.
As soon as the tweet went viral, everyone immediately began mocking Vinicius. Many considered it an attempt by the account to mock the Brazilian for losing the last Ballon d’Or and remind him that he had only won the Socrates Trophy so far.
It’s worth noting that after last year’s loss, Vinicius confirmed he would do his best to win the Ballon d’Or again. However, he had one of his worst seasons with Real Madrid and exited without a single title.
