Olivia Rodrigo has found herself in the middle of an unexpected rivalry.
Pop fans can be messy enough, but that’s nothing compared to the heated words exchanged between football fans.
Olivia, 21, is finding that out the hard way as Real Madrid fans flood her Instagram comments, thinking she’s Man City player Rodri, 28.
Earlier this week, Rodri was awarded the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in football.
Over the years, its become something of a tradition for fans to react to the news of the winner with online support or trolling, depending on their loyalties.
But given that Rodri doesn’t have any social media accounts, it seems fans who believe Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. should have been the winner have been forced to improvise.
An Instagram post by Rodrigo at an event the day before the football awards ceremony, has been bombarded with comments like ‘You robbed Vini! Have some shame!’ and ‘You don’t deserve that award!’
Rodrigo has thus far ignored the comments, posting another Instagram post that was quickly taken over by fans commenting in support of Rodri, though Vini supporters once again got involved after several hours.
It’s unclear if the joke began because fans think the two look similar or because of the similarities in their names, but it doesn’t seem to be tapering off any time soon.
Vinicius Jr had been considered the clear favourite to win the prize after playing a central role in Real Madrid winning the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup last season.
However, a pre-ceremony leak indicated that Vinicius Jr was going to be beaten by Rodri who secured the Premier League title and the Euro 2024 trophy.
As a result, Madrid’s delegation, which had been set to include Vinicius Jr, cancelled their trip to Paris in protest – clearly inspiring Real Madrid fans to partake in their own form of protest.