Real Madrid’s players did not turn up to the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris because they believe star forward Vinicius Jr will be beaten to the top prize by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.
According to reports, the Real Madrid delegation cancelled their trip to Monday night’s ceremony at the last minute when the “leaked results” of the prestigious award showed Rodri had received the most votes ahead of Vinicius and Jude Bellingham.
Real Madrid were thrashed 4-0 by rivals Barcelona in Saturday night’s Clasico and there has since been a total blackout of posts on the club’s social media channels, with no acknowledgment of the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Brazil international Vinicius Jr was long considered the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or after playing a starring role in the club’s Champions League and LaLiga titles last season, but the 24-year-old is set to finish second in the overall vote.
And although Real Madrid were named men’s club of the year after winning a 15th European Cup and 36th Spanish league title, there was no one from the club to receive the award and the ceremony quickly moved on. Similarly, Kylian Mbappe was named joint-recipient of the Gerd Muller Trophy along with Harry Kane, but was not present while the England striker went up on stage for an interview and video montage.
Rodri is later expected to become the first defensive midfielder to win the Ballon d’Or, with the 28-year-old named player of the tournament at this summer’s European Championships as Spain defeated England in the Berlin final.
Rodri, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, would follow Lionel Messi and become only the fifth different player to win the individual award since 2007 – with the majority of those prizes claimed by either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ballon d’Or voting is determined by a panel of journalists from the top 100 Fifa-ranked countries and Rodri’s victory has led to a perceived boycott of the awards at the Theatre du Chatelet from the Spanish club.
Along with Vinicius Jr and Bellingham, Real Madrid also had Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal and retired midfielder Toni Kroos nominated for the top men’s honour, while Carlo Ancellotti was shortlisted for men’s coach of the year.
Real Madrid were also favourites to win the men’s club of the year award after claiming a record-extending 15th European Cup in last season’s Champions League final, but president Florentino Perez has reportedly also joined the boycott.
Another star player who won’t be at tonight’s Ballon d’Or ceremony is Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who has instead travelled to Sweden to see if former club Malmo can win the league.
Haaland, who finished runner-up in Ballon d’Or voting last season, made the trip to Malmo ahead of their game against rivals IFK Gothenburg, where a win would see them win their second straight Allsvenskan title and fourth in five years.
Malmo’s match against IFK kicked off 50 minutes before the start of the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.