Wesley Sneijder, a name that will always hold a special place in the hearts of Inter Milan fans, has spoken out about the Ballon d’Or controversy surrounding Vinicius Jr. Sneijder, one of the key players in Inter’s historic 2009/2010 season when they won the Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Champions League (the Treble) under José Mourinho, reflected on his own experience with the prestigious award.
Speaking at the sidelines of the ESports World Cup in Riyadh, the Dutch midfielder, who also had a stint with Real Madrid during his career, shared his thoughts on the recent Ballon d’Or award, which Rodri narrowly won over Vinicius Jr.
Sneijder stated, “Yes, they stole the Ballon d’Or from me in 2010. But honestly, I’m happy that people are still talking about it in 2024, 14 years later. People tell me, ‘Wesley, that year they robbed you.’ Imagine if I had won the Ballon d’Or and people had said, ‘He took it from someone else.’ Individual awards are nice. But team successes like lifting the Champions League trophy were more precious to me than getting the Ballon d’Or.”
The former Dutch international’s comments draw parallels between his situation in 2010 and the current controversy surrounding Vinicius Jr. Sneijder’s remarkable year in 2010, which saw him play a crucial role in Inter’s treble-winning season and help the Netherlands reach the World Cup final, was widely considered worthy of the Ballon d’Or. However, the award ultimately went to Lionel Messi.
