Real Madrid boycott Ballon d'Or again, skip ceremony | OneFootball

Real Madrid will once again boycott the Ballon d'Or, which takes place this Monday at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The club will not send its representatives to the ceremony for the second consecutive year, but has given its players the freedom to attend if they wish.

Real Madrid's decision not to be institutionally present at the Ballon d'Or is due to the fact that last year forward Vinícius Júnior was overlooked in favor of Rodri, from Manchester City, for the award of best player in the world.

This year, three players have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or: Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappé. Huijsen is competing for the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player up to 21 years old. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Courtois has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy, given to the best goalkeeper in the world.

Only Caroline Weir, nominated for the Ballon d'Or in the women's category, will be present at the event. Linda Caicedo, who is competing for the Kopa Trophy, did not travel to Paris.

Since Vinícius Júnior did not win the award last year, Real Madrid has started to avoid relations with UEFA, which participates in the Ballon d'Or award together with the French newspaper L’Équipe, and has strengthened its ties with FIFA, which became even more evident during the Club World Cup held in the USA.

Real Madrid believes there was great disrespect to the club and to Vinícius Júnior when Rodri, from Manchester City, was awarded. However, at the 2024 FIFA The Best awards, organized by the main governing body of world football, the Brazilian forward was elected the best player in the world, finishing ahead of Rodri and Jude Bellingham.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.