Real Madrid Feels Disrespected After Vinicius Fails to Win Award
Paris
AS FAR AS REAL MADRID is concerned, the most prestigious, worthy, and legitimate prizes in soccer are the ones that Real Madrid happens to win.
As one of the most decorated clubs in sports—soccer’s answer to the Yankees, Lakers, and Patriots rolled into one—Real holds the record for most Spanish league titles, most European Cups, and most Club World Cups. It is, to date, the only winner of FIFA’s Club of the Century award.
So imagine Real Madrid’s surprise this week when its star Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior was passed over for the Ballon d’Or, the award for the world’s best player over the previous season. Vinicius, 24, had been at the heart of Real’s triumphant campaign in La Liga and the Champions League. He’d scored 24 goals in 39 appearances. All of which was enough to make him the betting favorite going into Monday night’s ceremony in Paris.
But less than 24 hours before anyone opened an envelope, word had reached Real’s offices that the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner would instead be Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri—a Premier League and Euro 2024 champion.
Madrid went ballistic. Real decided to boycott the show, with some 40 members of its delegation refusing to attend, even though many had already traveled to Paris with their tuxedos in tow.
“Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected,” the club told Spanish media.
Never mind that two of its players, Vinicius and Jude Bellingham, were second and third in voting. Or that manager Carlo Ancelotti would be honored as the world’s best coach. Or that Real itself would be named club of the year. No team in soccer history has seen its players win the Ballon d’Or more frequently, so that was the only award that Madrid truly cared about.
The absence of any Madridista on stage was particularly jarring considering how many Real players usually show up to collect some hardware. Since 2000, they have claimed the prize on nine occasions, including four times for Cristiano Ronaldo. And since 2013, the only man in all of soccer to beat Real Madrid’s collection of superstars to the Ballon d’Or was eight-time winner Lionel Messi—at least until Rodri on Monday night.
“Messi and Ronaldo, the two best players in history, monopolized this trophy for a long time,” said Rodri, who hobbled to the stage on crutches while recovering from a torn knee ligament. “Without them here, we’re in a new era.”
Whether the Ballon d’Or is a true reflection of the state of soccer is another matter. The award, voted on by journalists from each of the 100 top-ranked countries in the FIFA standings, is often dismissed as a popularity contest. (FIFA’s own player of the year award, known as The Best, is a poll of journalists, along with national team coaches and captains.)
Regardless, the perceived snub capped a tough week for Real Madrid. Just two days earlier, the club had been trounced 4-0 at home by its hated rival Barcelona. By Monday, it was in no mood to be embarrassed again. “If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” the club said, referring to Dani Carvajal, who scored Real’s winning goal in the 2024 Champions League final. “As this was not the case, it is clear that the Ballon d’Or does not respect Real Madrid.” Vinicius, meanwhile, kept his reaction brief and vowed to win the award soon. “I’ll do 10 times more if I have to,” Vinicius posted on X. “They’re not ready.”
