- Vinicius Jr was the hot favourite to win the Ballon d’Or at tonight’s ceremony
- But in a shock development, the forward has reportedly been pipped by Rodri
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Real Madrid failed to collect an award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony tonight after boycotting the show over Vinicius Junior’s shock snub.
In an awkward moment at the lavish showpiece in Paris, Madrid were named Club of the Year after winning both the LaLiga title and the Champions League last season.
But with Vinicius seemingly missing out on the top prize in a major upset, not a single club representative was present to accept the gong.
Instead, the hosts simply congratulated the club before quickly moving on.
Vinicius was the overwhelming favourite to win the Ballon d’Or this year, having scored 24 goals and registered 11 assists during a stellar campaign last time out.
Real Madrid failed to collect their Club of the Year award at the Ballon d’Or Ceremony
Not a single club representative was on hand after they opted to boycott the evening
Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior is set to lose out on the main prize to Rodri in a major twist
But reports emerged earlier today claiming that he had been pipped to first place by Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who arrived at the ceremony on crutches.
The development sparked fury at Madrid and the club’s large delegation, which included numerous players and staff members, opted to boycott the evening.
RMC reported that Madrid president Florentino Perez was furious with the decision.
Journalist Jose Luis Sanchez claimed a 50-strong party was scheduled to jet out, only for them to cancel after discovering Vinicius would not win.
Sources at the club told ESPN Brazil that the snub was ‘historic robbery’.
Marca also reported that Madrid insiders have furiously declared ‘the Ballon d’Or no longer exists for us’.
A statement from Madrid to AFP said: ‘If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner.
Vinicius and Jude Bellingham’s seats on the front row were spotted without name tags
Manchester City’s Rodri arrived on the red carpet alongside his girlfriend Laura Iglesias
Bellingham is among the 50-strong Madrid party that abruptly cancelled their planned trip
Madrid president Florentino Perez is said to be furious with the decision to overlook Vinicius
‘As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.’
In response to Madrid’s boycott, the organisers of the Ballon d’Or said in a statement: ‘No player and no club knows the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or yet.’
Vinicius and Jude Bellingham were set to take their seats in the front row at the Theatre du Chatelet but their name tags were swiftly removed after it was confirmed they would not be in attendance.
