Real Madrid poised to boycott Ballon d’Or ceremony for second year in a row

Last year, Real Madrid were left furious at France Football’s decision not to award the 2024 Ballon d’Or to Vinicius Junior. It had been taken for granted within Valdebebas that the Brazilian winger would be victorious, so when it became known that Rodri Hernandez would be the victor, there was a lot of anger.

As a result, it was decided by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez – who was especially unhappy about the decision – that no one from the club would attend the ceremony, which included then-manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was not able to collect the Coach of the Year award that he won.

And ahead of this year’s ceremony, which takes place on the 22nd of September, it is expected to be more of the same. According to Marca, tensions between Real Madrid and France Football remains strained, following meetings that have taken place between the two entities.

A delegation from France Football was recently in the Spanish capital for talks with Real Madrid over their attendance at the 2025 ceremony, but the report has claimed that these did not go well. Because of this, the expectation is that there will again be no Real Madrid representation in Paris later this month.

Last month, France Football announced their 30-man shortlist for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, of which three are Real Madrid players: Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. All three finished in the top six of the 2024 award, but on this occasion, only Mbappe is expected to feature – given that Los Blancos had a disappointing 2024-25 season, which saw them win zero major honours.

It remains to be seen whether there is any Real Madrid representation at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, but at this moment, it appears that this would be very unlikely to be the case.