Real Madrid have cancelled their delegation’s plans to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday at the last minute as the club understand that their Brazil forward Vinícius Júnior will not win the male award.
Bookmakers had 24-year-old Vinícius, the Champions League player of the year, as the heavy odds-on favourite to claim his first Ballon d’Or, which is presented to the best player in the world, ahead of Manchester City’s Spain midfielder Rodri and Real’s England international Jude Bellingham.
Vinícius helped Real to a Champions League-La Liga double last term along with 21-year-old Bellingham, who was named the La Liga’s best player after scoring a career best 19 goals in a sparkling debut campaign and helped England reach the Euro 2024 final.
Rodri, who City manager Pep Guardiola has called “the best midfielder in the world”, was instrumental in helping his team win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League trophy last season and was named best player at this year’s European Championship after Spain lifted a record-extending fourth title.
Premier Sports to host live election debate on sports policies
Eileen Gleeson names Ireland squad for Euro 2025 playoff against Wales
Rúben Amorim’s road from the Portuguese third tier to Manchester United manager
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City contract extension shows he still has the eye of the tiger
Real and France Football, which organises the Ballon d’Or awards, were not immediately available to comment. The awards are based on voting by a panel of journalists from the top 100 Fifa-ranked countries. - Guardian
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
