Ballon d’Or ceremony starts without boycotting Real Madrid

The Ballon d’Or ceremony got underway on Monday in the absence of Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham after the Spanish club said it would boycott over a perceived snub of its players.

“If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” Real Madrid told AFP.

“As 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.”

The seven players from the Madrid contingent that were shortlisted for the individual award, including Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Fede Valverde and the retired Toni Kroos, did not show up to walk the red carpet at Paris’ Chatelet Theatre before the ceremony began.

For this year’s edition, the organisers had decided to keep the winner’s identity secret until the on-stage announcement.

With the absence of the Madrid’s double-winning stars, especially that of the bookmakers’ favourite Vinicius, many are now tipping Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri to win the award.

However, the Ballon d’Or organisers told AFP that “no player or club” knows in advance who will win the award.

The Ballon d’Or is awarded by a jury of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings.