'Furious' Real Madrid boycotts Ballon D'or as leaking furore scars football's most glamorous night

Spanish midfielder Rodri was awarded the Ballon d'Or award for the world’s best male player amid a snubbing controversy involving Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.

The 28-year-old Rodri won the prestigious award for the first time after helping Manchester City win the Premier League and being a key player in Spain’s European Championship triumph. He succeeded eight-time winner Lionel Messi of Argentina.

Vinícius was one of the favourites for the award until making the decision not to travel to Paris for the ceremony, after a leaked report stated Rodri had topped the votes.

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The decision to boycott was made by Real Madrid, according to a person who works with Vinícius and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak about the player’s whereabouts publicly.

Vinícius finished second in the voting, with Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham third.

For months, it seemed Real Madrid superstar Vinicius would be the eventual winner, as the Brazilian was the betting favourite for quite some time ahead of the award ceremony.

Reports stated the club did not send a delegation to the 2024 Ballon d'Or award ceremony because they were "furious" by Rodri's coronation.

Ahead of the ceremony, Real Madrid released a statement, via AFP, clarifying their position.

"If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those criteria should point to (Dani) Carvajal as the winner." the statement said.

"As this was not the case, it's clear the Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected."

The result marked the first time in the last decade that the Ballon d'Or did NOT go to a Real Madrid player after they had won the Champions League.

Vinicius scored six goals and assisted four more in 10 Champions League games as Real won their 15th European crown last term, claiming a goal in the 2-0 final win over Borussia Dortmund.

Vini Jr also scored and assisted in 20 goals in just 26 La Liga games last season.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti attended the awards night and won Coach of the Year but all other members of the team stayed away.

Rodri put his hands over his face when his name was read out by former winner George Weah.

“Incredible night for me,” said Rodri, who is out for the season after injuring his ACL last month and arrived on crutches to the ceremony. “One of my key things is I always try to improve every game.”

Rodri's countrywoman, the 26-year-old Aitana Bonmatí meanwhile, won the Ballon d'Or for the second straight season after helping Barcelona win the Spanish league, the Spanish cup and the Champions League. Bonmatí joined Barca teammate Alexia Putellas in winning two titles since the women’s trophy was first awarded in 2018. She beat her teammates Caroline Graham Hansen of Norway and Salma Paralluelo of Spain as Barcelona completed a 1-2-3.

“It’s a pleasure to be here again,” said Bonmatí, who received the award from Oscar winner Natalie Portman. “Thanks to my teammates and the clubs who make me a better football player every year.”

Neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo — winners of the prestigious individual award a combined 13 times — were in the running for this year’s prize — the first time that's happened since 2003.

While Rodri is not a flamboyant player or a prolific scorer like Messi and Ronaldo, he had a huge influence on City’s team with his ability to protect the defence and distribute passes cleanly from the back.

“I try to be a leader and try to improve every day from the best,” Rodri said.

City looked unbeatable at times with him in the side, while his excellent technical ability enabled him to slot smoothly into the quick-passing style made so effective by Spain at Euro 2024.

Bonmatí scored 19 goals for the second straight season for Barca and this year has netted five in five games for Spain, taking her international tally to 26.

The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine and has been awarded since 1956 for the men, and since 2018 for the women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Each journalist, one per country, selects 10 players in ranked order, with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Unlike FIFA’s awards for the best players each year, fans aren’t part of the voting system.

- with AP