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Man City cheekily welcome Vinicius Jr before fans unveil brutal ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ tifo amid Ballon d’Or drama

MANCHESTER CITY cheekily reminded Vinicius Jr of the Ballon d’Or saga with a brutal Oasis-inspired banner.

City star Rodri won the prestigious award given to the world’s best player ahead of the Real Madrid man back in October.

Large banner at a soccer game reading "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" with an image of a man holding a trophy.
Man City fans taunted Vinicius Jr with a brutal tifo
Man carrying a duffel bag walking past a soccer poster.
@ManCity
City also posted a snap of Vinicius walking past a Rodri mural[/caption]
Rodri holding the Ballon d'Or award.
EPA
Rodri won the prestigious award in October[/caption]
Getty
Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony in protest a Vinicius’ snub[/caption]

Los Blancos were left fuming over the snub and decided all members of the club would not attend the glamorous ceremony in protest.

Ahead of tonight’s Champions League play-off clash between City and Real Madrid, the hosts cleverly taunted Vinicius.

The Premier League champions posted a snap of their opponents arriving at the Etihad, which included a picture of the Brazilian winger walking into the stadium.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed he was cheekily pictured next to a display of Rodri kissing the iconic Ballon d’Or trophy.

Supporters found it hilarious, with one saying: “I saw what you did here.”

Another added: “We all see it, right?”

The taunting did not stop there as City fans welcomed Vinicius to the pitch ahead of kick-off with a brutal tifo.

Those sat next to the away end behind the goal held up a banner of Rodri with the trophy along with the Oasis lyrics: “Stop crying your heart out.”

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City supporters called it “superb” and “phenomenal” – but others were worried it was “all the motivation Real needs”.

A defiant Vinicius, who was booed by City fans, tweeted at the time of the boycott: “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”

And he will be desperate to get one over the injured Rodri as he even reportedly had a Ballon d’Or party planned for 50 people to celebrate.

Meanwhile, Nike had to scrap the specially designed boots they made and Real Madrid TV were forced to ditch the five hours of programming they had in place to to commemorate the success.

The club were fiercely criticised for not showing up to the ceremony but boss Carlo Ancelotti doubled down ahead of tonight’s game, saying: “I don’t think it was the wrong decision.

“We thought Vini was the winner of the Ballon d’Or.

“It doesn’t mean we don’t respect Rodri because he is a fantastic player. I think Rodri deserved to win it the year before.”

Pep Guardiola said there was “absolutely not” any resentment at Real over the incident.

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Fury as skinflint councils reject up to 96% of pothole compo claims despite responsibility to repair roads

DRIVERS are paying the price for Britain’s crumbling roads as skinflint councils reject up to 96 per cent of pothole compensation claims.

Nearly half of the 1,552 who lodged a claim for damage to their vehicles suffered on England’s major roads received a payout from National Highways last year.

Person's legs in rain boots standing in a pothole.
Alamy
Councils are rejecting up to 96 per cent of pothole compensation claims[/caption]

But on local roads, councils are dodging responsibility, some rejecting more than nine in ten applications.

The AA’s Luke Bosdet said of National Highways: “A road authority that takes responsibility for the condition of its roads and doesn’t wriggle out of it is hugely refreshing, unlike so many councils.

“Driving to somewhere in one piece should not be a matter of pothole luck.”

In Essex only four per cent of pothole claims — 283 out of 7,036 — were successful over the past four years.

Meanwhile, in Kent, 92 per cent of drivers were rejected.

The county council received 2,508 pothole- related claims between January 2023 and February 2024 but only 190 were accepted.

The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £16.3billion.

This year’s local road funding is being boosted by £500million, rising to nearly £1.6billion, but a quarter will be withheld until councils prove they are using the cash effectively.

Shadow transport minister Gareth Bacon said: “Labour needs to get to grips with it.”

Essex Highways said last night that all claims are “investigated fully in line with legal criteria”, adding “we invest millions into our road maintenance”.

Woman standing near a large pothole in a muddy road.
Alamy
In Essex only four per cent of pothole claims — 283 out of 7,036 — were successful over the past four years[/caption]

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