Real Madrid Threatens to Snub Ballon d'Or Ceremony Again After Last Year's Dramatic Boycott

Real Madrid and France Football remain at odds following their public dispute from the previous year, with reports suggesting the Spanish club will once more absent themselves from the Ballon d'Or gala.

Mere hours before Rodri was announced as winner at the Théâtre du Châtelet last October, Real Madrid made the divisive choice to shun the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony. No players, coaching staff, or club officials were present at the event after discovering that Vinícius Júnior had not secured the men's Ballon d'Or title.

The platform was left vacant when Carlo Ancelotti claimed the Men's Johan Cruyff Trophy and when Real Madrid received recognition as the Men's Club of the Year. Even Kylian Mbappé, who had recently joined the team that summer, was absent from the ceremony to collect the Gerd Müller Trophy, an honor he shared with Harry Kane.

With the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony approaching in just two weeks, it appears Los Blancos will again decline to travel to Paris. According to MARCA, Real Madrid and France Football have been unable to "restore diplomatic ties" following their widely publicized disagreement from last year.

The Spanish publication reports that France Football dispatched a representative to Madrid in hopes of mending ties with the Spanish powerhouse. The objective was to reach a "mutual agreement" before this year's ceremony on Sept. 22, but these discussions proved "fruitless."

In contrast to last year, the frontrunners for the men's Ballon d'Or award are not from Real Madrid's roster. Nevertheless, the club maintains three nominees for the coveted accolade: Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham. Dean Huijsen has also earned a nomination for the Kopa Trophy while Thibaut Courtois competes for the Yashin Trophy.

If Los Blancos choose to boycott the Parisian ceremony, some of football's most prominent figures will again be conspicuously missing from the Théâtre du Châtelet, establishing a notable pattern for future events.