When Brazilians 'Prayed' For Vinicius Junior Not to Win Ballon d'Or
- Vinicius Junior's dismal performance for Brazil continued when they travelled to Paraguay to play in the World Cup qualifier
- The electrifying winger once again went missing as Brazil suffered a painful 1-0 defeat to their South Amerca counterparts
- After the match, the Real Madrid star faced significant backlash from frustrated Brazil fans who opposed his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or
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Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has been told that awarding him the Ballon d'Or would be the "biggest crime in the history of the sport" after another disappointing performance for Brazil.
The 24-year-old forward was largely invisible during Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Paraguay in their latest CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Source: Getty Images
This means that the five-time World Champions have dropped to fifth place in the CONMEBOL standings after suffering their fourth loss in eight matches, per the BBC.
Despite this, the Selecao remain in direct contention for a spot at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, with the top six teams qualifying.
Brazil fans slam Vinicius' display against Paraguay
Vinicius has been a key player for Real Madrid, but many feel he has yet to deliver a standout performance for his country that matches his club form.
While the dynamic winger showed some improvement in the second half against Paraguay last Monday, his efforts weren’t enough to help the Selecao secure a point away from home.
Angry Brazil fans lashed out at the 24-year-old after the match, criticising him for not stepping up to lead his team to victory.
Some supporters even voiced their hopes that the Ballon d'Or frontrunner would miss out on the prestigious award due to his underwhelming performance.
@ney2maa wrote on X:
"We can't let a player like Vinicius, who disappears in every game for his national team, win the Ballon d'Or. It would be the biggest crime in the history of the sport."
@EifSoccer commented:
"Without exaggeration, Vinicius has to be one of the most underwhelming international performers compared to his club form. We're talking about a future Ballon d'Or winner, yet he’s never delivered for Brazil. At this point, how can they keep playing him?"
@Ollican said:
"There’s a reason Zidane always kept him on the bench. Vinicius has been poor under every manager throughout his career, except for Ancelotti. This isn’t just about being a system player, which is problematic enough; it’s a matter of his skill set. If he manages to win that Ballon d'Or, it’ll be a disaster, to be honest. Smh."🤦🏾♀️"
@Siphe_Sihle1 added:
"Yet some insist he should win the Ballon d'Or. It's utterly ridiculous. Rodri performs consistently for both club and country."
Perplexity AI offered Google on Tuesday $34.5 billion for its popular Chrome web browser, which the internet giant could potentially be forced to sell as part of antitrust proceedings.
The whopping sum proposed in a letter of intent by Perplexity is nearly double the value of the startup, which was reportedly $18 billion in a recent funding round.
"This proposal is designed to satisfy an antitrust remedy in highest public interest by placing Chrome with a capable, independent operator focused on continuity, openness, and consumer protection," Perplexity chief executive Aravind Srinivas said in the letter, a copy of which was seen by AFP.
Google is awaiting US District Court Judge Amit Mehta's ruling on what "remedies" to impose, following a landmark decision last year that said the tech titan maintained an illegal monopoly in online search.
US government attorneys have called for Google to divest itself of the Chrome browser, contending that artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant's dominance as the go-to window into the internet.
Google has urged Mehta to reject the divestment, and his decision is expected by the end of the month.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Perplexity's offer vastly undervalues Chrome and "should not be taken seriously," Baird Equity Research analysts said in a note to investors.
Given that Perplexity already has a browser that competes with Chrome, the San Francisco-based startup could be trying to spark others to bid or "influence the pending decision" in the antitrust case, Baird analysts theorized.
"Either way, we believe Perplexity would view an independent Chrome -- or one no longer affiliated with Google -- as an advantage as it attempts to take browser share," Baird analysts told investors.
Google contends that the United States has gone way beyond the scope of the suit by recommending a spinoff of Chrome, and holding open the option to force a sale of its Android mobile operating system.
"Forcing the sale of Chrome or banning default agreements wouldn’t foster competition," said Cato Institute senior fellow in technology policy Jennifer Huddleston.
"It would hobble innovation, hurt smaller players, and leave users with worse products."
Google attorney John Schmidtlein noted in court that more than 80 percent of Chrome users are outside the United States, meaning divestiture would have global ramifications.
"Any divested Chrome would be a shadow of the current Chrome," he contended.
"And once we are in that world, I don't see how you can say anybody is better off."
The potential of Chrome being weakened or spun off comes as rivals such as Microsoft, ChatGPT and Perplexity put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work fetching information from the internet in response to user queries.
Google is among the tech companies investing heavily to be a leader in AI, and is weaving the technology into search and other online offerings.
Source: AFP
