Real Madrid are fighting hard for the Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d'Or because Rodri and not Vinicius should be awarded the title of World Player of the Year. This hurts the Royals in two ways.

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When they learned that Vinicius Junior would be leaving the Ballon d'Or ceremony empty-handed, they immediately canceled the flight for the 50-person delegation. Real Madrid's reaction was perhaps the most violent. Sources within the club told Madrid newspapers Marca and AS that in their eyes the Ballon d'Or no longer exists and the club feels disrespected.

Judging from the awards, the latter cannot actually be said. Carlo Ancelotti was named Coach of the Year and the club was named Team of the Year. In the election of World Footballer, Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal occupied the second to fourth positions respectively – only the first place was not a Royal professional player.

How they knew the 24-year-old Brazilian would lose his duel with Manchester City's Rodri is unclear. The editor-in-chief of “France Football”, which awarded the Ballon d'Or, said that neither Espanyol nor Manchester City knew the result. “Real Madrid put pressure on me to find out if Vinny won. Maybe my silence made them think he lost and that's why they didn't come,” Vincent Garcia said.

Whether the Madrid boss learned of the result in another way or acted based on an assumption, one thing is clear: Real Madrid did not attend Monday night's awards ceremony in Paris, This hurts yourself in two ways.

A clear reaction to “Real Kindergarten”

On the one hand, the reaction from neutral fans was clear. The behavior of “Los Blancos” is embarrassing and unworthy of being a “Royal” club. In Switzerland, for example, Daily News reported on “Real Madrid's kindergarten.” The (non-)appearance of the likes of President Florentino Pérez is definitely worthy of sympathy. But that shouldn't worry those responsible too much. Real Madrid take full advantage of this “us against everyone” mentality and celebrate it.

However, another fact could do more harm to the Champions League's record winner. After the European Cup, Spanish media reported that Rodri is definitely a dream signing for next summer. The 28-year-old midfielder has a contract with Manchester City until 2027 to ensure stability in Madrid's midfield.

Although a torn cruciate ligament will rule out the European Championship's best player for the rest of the season, it doesn't seem unrealistic. It was reported at the time that Rodri was very keen on the idea of ​​moving to Real Madrid. But does he still want this now?

Dream players are unlikely to want to come

Because while everything is understandable – Vinicius is having an excellent season and is crucial to winning the league and the Champions League – Real Madrid are also showing support for their own players by boycotting: in their eyes, Rodri is not Not a worthy champion. Golden Globe Awards. Spain's record champions lack any respect for the best players in Spain's European champions. Mind you, a boy from Madrid.

Madrid native Rodri played for Atletico Madrid in his youth and in the 2018/19 season.Image source: imago sports photo service

This means the club could be passing up the chance to sign their best player at the moment, in what is probably the most important position in modern football. Real have not been as dominant and controlling in the midfield as they have been in recent years following the resignation of Toni Kroos, but they could make good use of a player like Rodri. The six would also benefit attacking superstars such as Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and, ironically, Vinicius.

But obviously, the Ballon d'Or, which “no longer exists” for them, is more important to Real Madrid.