Real Madrid is boycotting the Ballon d’Or award because neither Vinicius Junior nor any other professional from the Spanish football record champions will receive the prize.
The special flight was quickly canceled and the 50-person delegation led by the supposed winner Vinicius Junior instead stayed in Spain and boycotted the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris. Real Madrid reacted with great offense to the jury’s decision against the superstar and accused the makers of the Ballon d’Or of disrespect. At the awards ceremony in Paris, the Spanish European champion Rodri from Manchester City was chosen instead of the Brazilian. The Spanish media said the price was now “completely worthless” from Madrid’s perspective.
“It is clear that Real Madrid is not respected at the Ballon d’Or. And Real Madrid will not go anywhere where it is not respected,” said a statement available to the AFP news agency: “If the award criteria, If we don’t name Vinicius as the winner, the same criteria (Dani, d. Red) should name Carvajal as the winner.” But it wasn’t the Spanish full-back who triumphed either, but rather the masterful midfield strategist Rodri.
And while Real not only canceled the special flight, but also canceled the five-hour Ballon d’Or special broadcast on their own TV channel, the makers of the Ballon d’Or reacted quickly. The award winners were not informed in advance, nobody knew. “Neither players nor clubs know who won the Ballon d’Or,” it said in a statement. Everyone is “sitting in the same boat” and has the same level of knowledge.
Nevertheless, hours before the gala it was leaked that Rodri would be Lionel Messi’s successor. According to the Spanish newspaper “AS”, Vinicius himself suggested that the trip be canceled. President Florentino Perez should be on board, as well as numerous other officials, players and family members.
The absence of the Madrid group became apparent in the evening. When Real were named the best team, a video clip had to suffice. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti received the award for best coach – but unlike award winner Emma Hayes, he did not send a greeting message via video.
With the closed boycott, Real probably wanted to express its support for Vinicius. “For me he’s the best player in the world. He’s almost impossible to defend. He creates magic out of nothing,” said Jude Bellingham, who came third in the vote.
Vinicius, who helped Real to the Champions League title with his goals last season, had to be content with second place. He scored in the final against Borussia Dortmund and also scored three goals against BVB in the reunion last week.
Kroos and Wirtz are the best professionals from Germany
German professionals only played a supporting role at the gala. Toni Kroos, who ended his successful career after the home European Championships in the summer, took 9th place. Young star Florian Wirtz (12th place), Real defender Antonio Rüdiger (22) and ex-BVB player also made it to the final of the top 30. Defense chief Mats Hummels (29) made it. The fact that Jamal Musiala was not taken into account caused anger at FC Bayern.
Among the female soccer players, Giulia Gwinn came in 19th place, Lea Schüller (both FC Bayern) in 24th place and Sjoeke Nüsken from Chelsea FC in 25th place. The trophy was won by Aitana Bonmatí from FC Barcelona.
Among men, 100 journalists from the 100 best-placed countries in the world rankings were eligible to vote. For women, the 50 best nations were taken into account.
Rodri excelled – and is out for a long time
Rodri won the English championship with Man City last season and led the Spanish national team to the European Championship title in Germany in the summer. The current season began with a shock for the Spaniard: Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in September and will be out for several months.
The Ballon d’Or has been awarded since 1956 and has long been the award for the best European player. From 2010 to 2015, the Ballon d’Or was awarded as a prize to the world footballer through a cooperation between the French media group Groupe Amaury, to which “France Football” belongs, and the world association FIFA. The collaboration with UEFA has been in place since this year – the umbrella organization no longer has the sole choice of European Footballer of the Year.
All Ballon d’Or honors:
Ballon d’Or (Men): Rodri (Spain/Manchester City)
Ballon d’Or (Frauen): Aitana Bonmati (Spanien/FC Barcelona)
Best coach (men): Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid)
Best coach (women): Emma Hayes (England/Chelsea FC and USA)
Best young player: Lamine Yamal (Spain/FC Barcelona)
Best goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa)
Top scorer: Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich) and Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid)
Most successful club (men): Real Madrid
Most successful club (women): FC Barcelona
Soziales Engagement: Jennifer Hermoso (Spanien/CF Pachuca Femenil und Tigres Femenil)
Source: www.sport.de
