Barcelona star admits he was 'not surprised' by Vinicius Junior's Ballon d'Or defeat | OneFootball

Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi has admitted he was not shocked to see Vinicius Junior fall to Rodri in the race for the Ballon d'Or.

Many had expected Real Madrid star Vinicius to pick up the prize earlier this week before news broke confirming he had not won, at which point everyone associated with the Spanish side decided to boycott the ceremony.

While many Madrid stars took to social media in support of Vinicius, Barcelona's Cubarsi confessed he felt Rodri was a deserving winner.

"I was not surprised that Vinicius did not win, he was very even with Rodri," Cubarsi told RAC1.

Cubarsi also voiced his disappointment towards Madrid's decision not to attend the ceremony, insisting those nominated for awards should be present.

Cubarsi was nominated for the Kopa Trophy / Angel Martinez/GettyImages

"Being among the top 10 or top 20 of the Ballon d'Or is already a good prize and it is important for a footballer to be there," Cubarsi continued. "Dani Olmo and I were there and we didn't win."

La Liga president Javier Tebas accused Madrid of acting childish in the face of defeat and condemned the La Liga giants' decision not to turn up.

"I believe Real Madrid has lacked the gentlemanly conduct that has always been one of its hallmarks, which is also part of their anthem, to shake hands when they lose," he explained. "A lack of gentlemanly conduct that has been missing for some time. I wasn't surprised. It was a childish attitude, an exaltation, call it what you want.

"We already saw it in the attitude of Real Madrid TV with the videos. We see a supremacist behavior that everything has to revolve around them."