UEFA have condemned Real Madrid for not being a part of the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony. No representatives from Los Blancos were present at the Theatre du Chatalet on October 28 as a protest for Vinicius Junior missing out on the coveted prize.
The Brazilian finished behind Manchester City's Rodri in the final ranking. The club's behavior was condemned as unethical by neutrals around the world. Vinicius was also criticized for his failure to acknowledge Rodri's win.
In a recent statement, UEFA pointed out that Real Madrid's decision says a lot about the club.
“If they say something like that, that says it all about them. And then he doesn’t deserve any more comment on our part,” said UEFA.
Vinicius Junior was billed as the frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or this year in the build-up to the award. The 24-year-old was outstanding for the LaLiga giants last season, registering 24 goals and 11 assists from 39 games across competitions.
Los Blancos relied on his brilliance to win the league, the Champions League as well as the Supercopa de Espana.
Meanwhile, Rodri was equally decisive for Manchester City last season, registering nine goals and 14 assists from 50 games across competitions. The Spaniard also won Euro 2024 with La Roja over the summer and was adjudged as this year's Ballon d'Or winner by journalists from across the world.
Who was the last Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d'Or?
Karim Benzema was the last Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d'Or in 2022. The French forward was handed the coveted prize following an outstanding campaign with the LaLiga giants.
Benzema scored 44 goals and set up 15 more from 46 games across competitions for Los Blancos. He won the league, the Champions League, and the Spanish Supercup and was subsequently adjudged the best player in the world.
The French received 549 points and was followed by Sadio Mane, who garnered 193 points. Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne came third with 175 points.
Real Madrid have been home to eight Ballon d'Or winners so far, who have won it 12 times in total. They are also the most represented club in the coveted awards, ahead of Barcelona.
Interestingly, the Catalans have six winners of the highly-desired award in their history. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is also Real Madrid's record goalscorer with 438 goals from 450 games, has lifted the coveted award four times for the club.