While the winner of the Ballon d'Or is supposed to remain a secret, Real Madrid announces at the last moment that he will not attend the ceremony…
Real Madrid, convinced that its Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior, although favorite, will not be named Ballon d'Or on Monday October 28, 2024, has canceled the visit of its delegation to the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. “If the award criteria do not designate Vinicius as the winner, these same criteria should designate Carvajal as the winner. As this was not the case, it is obvious that the UEFA Ballon d'Or does not respect the Real Madrid. And Real Madrid is not where it is not respected,” the Madrid club, winner of the Champions League in 2024, told AFP.
Yet no one is supposed to know…
The organizers of the Ballon d'Or decided to innovate this year by keeping the identity of the winner secret until the end to avoid any leaks to the press. In previous years, the winner was revealed a few days before the prize was awarded. All the nominees were thus invited to the ceremony organized this evening in Paris.
The absence of Real players and the club's declaration therefore suggest that neither Vinicius nor Dani Carvajal nor Jude Bellingham, architects of the club's European coronation, will win the trophy, leaving the way clear for Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri. Winner of Euro-2024 with La Roja, the 28-year-old midfielder was named best player of the tournament by UEFA. The Ballon d'Or is awarded after the vote of a jury of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the Fifa rankings.
“No player or club knows on Monday afternoon who won” the Golden Ball, one of the organizers of the ceremony told AFP, which Real Madrid announced they were boycotting, thinking that their player Vinicius would not be crowned. . “All clubs and players are in the same boat,” added this source, recalling the very strict confidentiality rules laid down for this 2024 edition.
