Real Madrid was awarded the Club of the Year but did not attend Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, where forward Vinicius Junior lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri for the Best Men’s Player award.
The European champions chose not to send representatives, citing a lack of respect after learning that Vinicius would not receive the prestigious trophy, according to reports from AFP and Spanish media.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti and forward Kylian Mbappe both received individual honors but were absent to collect their awards.
Rodri, 28, claimed the men’s Ballon d’Or, beating out Vinicius and Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham.
Vinicius, 24, was the top scorer for Real Madrid last season, helping the team secure both the Champions League and La Liga titles.
Following the announcement of Rodri as the winner, Vinicius expressed his determination on X, stating, “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”
Real Madrid reportedly felt that Vinicius’ teammate Dani Carvajal was also snubbed for the main award. The club commented, “If the award criteria does not crown Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner. Since this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-Uefa does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”
However, organizers of the ceremony maintained that “no player or club knows who has won the Ballon d’Or” prior to the event.
BBC Sport has reached out to Real Madrid for further comment.
