Ballon d’Or row: Bayern chief Eberl takes a dig at Real Madrid | OneFootball

The Ballon d'Or ceremony this year brought mixed feelings at FC Bayern. No player from Munich made it into the top 10. Sports director Max Eberl took it with humor and couldn't resist a jab at Real Madrid.

Harry Kane, Bayern's goal scorer and Champions League hope, only landed in 13th place in this year's vote. His teammate Michael Olise even came in at just 30th place. For a club like the German record champion, this was an unusually weak showing, raising questions about the international appeal of FCB stars.

Before departing for the Champions League match against Pafos FC, Max Eberl was asked about the rankings. The question of whether Kane deserved more was used by the sports director for a humorous dig: "I won't go as far as Real Madrid and boycott."

Real Madrid once again not participating

The background: Already last year, Real Madrid demonstratively boycotted the gala because it became apparent that not Vinícius Jr., but Rodri from Manchester City would be honored. This year, too, all representatives of the Royals were absent—this time because no player was in the shortlist.

Eberl made it clear that the evaluation criteria are hard to compare: "It does depend on titles, one has to honestly say that." With the quarter-final exit in the Champions League and the early cup exit, Bayern lacked major trophies in 2023/24, which often make the difference in such votes.

"The performances our players have delivered: last season it was Jamal, in this case, it was Harry and Michael. The evaluations are subjective, everyone is entitled to their opinion," Eberl continued.

Despite missing the top placements, Eberl sees the Bayern stars as being on track athletically. "If it's then 13th place, so be it. But we will do everything to be successful as a team, and then there will be a better placement," he explained.

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