If Spanish football emerges as the big winner of the Golden Ball with eight trophies, including the main ones won by Rodri and Aitana Bonmati, Real Madrid, which boycotted the ceremony in protest, was criticized on Tuesday for its attitude and its lack of class.
Everything was ready. For several weeks, the star striker of « Meringues »Vinicius Junior, was preparing to receive the supreme individual footballer award in Paris.
Real, which logically had four of its players in the Top 6 (Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and Kylian Mbappé) after achieving the Liga-Champions League-Supercup treble in 2023-24, had assembled a delegation of nearly 50 people to celebrate the Brazilian’s coronation. Or failing that, in case of surprise, that of Bellingham or Carvajal.
But their plane never left the Spanish capital, the Madrid club having finally decided not to participate in the gala evening after learning that none of its players would be crowned. An assertion contrary to that of France Football, organizer of the annual event, which assured that the secrecy surrounding the name of the winner had been kept until the end.
“If the award criteria do not designate Vinicius as winner, these same criteria should designate Carvajal (…) As this was not the case, it is obvious that the UEFA Ballon d’Or does not respect not Real Madrid »the club argued to AFP in the afternoon. There is no question, in these conditions, that the Madrid institution will surrender “where it is not respected”she concluded.
“Unworthy of the biggest club in the world”
Real Madrid receives the trophy for Best Men’s Club of the Year during the 2024 Ballon d’Or award ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on October 28, 2024. / Franck FIFE / AFP
The Spanish press, which abundantly celebrates the coronation of Rodri, winner and best player of Euro-2024 with the « Roja »also champion of England with Manchester City, as well as the double of the Catalan Aitana Bonmati, who retains her Golden Ball, champion of Spain and winner of the Champions League with FC Barcelona and 2023 world champion in the selection , unanimously criticizes the behavior of Real.
“This charade is unworthy of the biggest club in the world”decides Marca, although pro-Real, in an editorial noting that the White House does not respect its own anthem which calls on its players “to shake hands even when you lose”.
Javier Tebas during a conference in Barcelona on March 16, 2023. “The victimization of Real has no reason to be and is exaggerated,” declared the president of La Liga / Pau BARRENA / AFP/Archives
“I think it’s been a while since Real Madrid lost that state of mind”declared for his part the president of the Spanish Liga, Javier Tebas, in an interview cited Tuesday by the French daily L’Equipe. “They should have gone to this ceremony and not questioned the France Football system, which is transparent, with 100 journalists voting. The victimization of Real is not justified and is exaggerated. I don’t know which way they’re going.”he added.
Conspiracy theory
In open war with UEFA, Real Madrid, which is pushing for the creation of a Superleague supposed to compete with the Champions League and “save European football from ruin”according to its president Florentino Pérez, seems to be sinking into a conspiracy theory, relayed by the television program El Chiringuito.
“The enemy of Real Madrid, UEFA, intervened in the Ballon d’Or (…) This is clear proof of the war of Alexander Ceferin (the president of UEFA, Editor’s note) against Superleague »launched the show’s host, Josep Pedrerol.
Spanish midfielder Rodri receives the 2024 Ballon d’Or as he wins ahead of Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid’s English midfielder Jude Bellingham during the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Theater du Chatelet in Paris on October 28, 2024 / Franck FIFE / AFP
The editor-in-chief of France Football, Vincent Garcia, gave a much more logical explanation to the prize list, speaking to the L’Équipe channel. “What I can say is that it was close. Vinicius surely suffered from the presence of Carvajal and Bellingham in the Top 5, since this mathematically took away some votes from him. (…) What could have benefited Rodri »he said.
Another potential explanation, noted by several specialized media, the presence, among the election criteria of the « class » a you « fair-play » of the player, which could have been detrimental to the Brazilian, sometimes temperamental and provocative on the pitch, far from the model image of Rodri.
Inaudible arguments for the Merengues, convinced of having been wronged, and now launched into an improbable crusade against the whole world.