Real Madrid skip Ballon d'Or event, reportedly upset about Vinicius snub

Presumptive 2024 Ballon d'Or favorite Vinicius Junior, along with the rest of the Real Madrid delegation, decided not to make the trip to Paris for Monday's ceremony.

The decision was made to skip the event after learning the Brazilian had missed out on the sport's top individual honor, according to Gustavo Hofman and Rodrigo Faez of ESPN.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, long viewed as Vinicius' primary challenger for the award, ended up taking home the accolade. Vinicius finished second in the voting. Teammates Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal rounded out the top four.

"If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner," Real Madrid told Agence France-Presse ahead of Monday's ceremony. "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."

The organizers of the event insisted Monday that "no player or club" knew who would win the award ahead of time. "All the clubs and players are in the same boat," a Ballon d'Or source told Agence France-Presse.

A panel of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings votes on the Ballon d'Or.

Eight Real Madrid players were nominated for various awards that were handed out by France Football, together with UEFA, on Monday. Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, won the men's Johan Cruyff Trophy as best coach.

Real Madrid was named the best men's club of the year during the ceremony, but nobody from the storied team was on hand to accept the award at the Theatre du Chatelet.

Vinicius was long considered the Ballon d'Or frontrunner after leading Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double last season. He scored 21 goals across those two competitions, including tallies in both the semifinals and final of the Champions League.

The last Brazilian player to claim the men's honor was Kaka in 2007.

Though he had a standout year at club level, the 24-year-old Vinicius struggled in his marquee international tournament of the year, with Brazil being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa America.

Conversely, Rodri was named Player of the Tournament as Spain won Euro 2024, a triumph that came on the back of his starring role during Manchester City's latest Premier League title-winning campaign.