SPORTS NEWS; – As the luminaries of soccer convened in Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony, an occasion dedicated to honoring the pinnacle of the sport, one significant figure was conspicuously absent.
Real Madrid, widely regarded as the preeminent club in global soccer, opted not to send representatives to the event on Monday after discovering that their star player, Vinícius Jr., had not secured the accolade for best men’s player, according to various reports.
Reports from AFP, The Athletic, and several Spanish media outlets indicate that Los Blancos chose to abstain from attending an event where they felt they were “not respected.” Manchester City midfielder Rodri was awarded the men’s Ballon d’Or following an outstanding season with both his club and national team.
Vinícius Jr. finished in second place, surpassing his Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, who ranked third and fourth, respectively. Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona Femení and Spain received her second consecutive Ballon d’Or Féminin for best women’s player.
The Ballon d’Or awards are determined by votes from journalists representing the top 100 ranked countries for the men’s category, as per FIFA’s latest rankings, and the top 50 for the women’s category.
A source from Madrid remarked to AFP, The Athletic, and Spanish outlets, “If the criteria for the award do not recognize Vinícius Jr. as the winner, then those same criteria should have recognized Carvajal as the winner. Since this has not occurred, it is evident that the UEFA Ballon d’Or does not hold Real Madrid in high regard. Therefore, Real Madrid will not participate in events where it is not respected.”
Former midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who had a distinguished career with clubs such as AC Milan and Real Madrid, expressed his astonishment that Vinícius did not receive the award and hinted at potential discord between the Spanish club and UEFA.
“I believe Vini deserves this award. It appears there are unresolved issues between Real Madrid and UEFA,” Seedorf, who attended the ceremony, stated to TNT Sports Brasil. “It is unfortunate, as these matters should be kept separate.”
