The behind-the-scenes conflict began in 2021 when the Spanish team led the European Super League project.
Real Madrid’s statement issued on Monday just before the Ballon d’Or ceremony made the situation clear: the behind-the-scenes war between the most successful European club and UEFA has taken a new turn. “It is obvious that UEFA’s Ballon d’Or does not respect Real Madrid,” the statement read after the club learned that Vinícius Júnior would not win the season’s top individual award. Check out the best football results at ai football score.
The clash between the two institutions is not new but escalated in 2021 when Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, announced the creation of the European Super League, a tournament intended to rival the Champions League. However, the project faced significant public backlash and never materialized, but it was enough to strain the relationship, which included public jabs from the president of UEFA.
Until the morning of the award ceremony, there was strong favoritism for Vini Jr. Even Marca, a newspaper from Rodri’s country, reported about a month ago that the Brazilian would win the Ballon d’Or. However, just hours before the event, the situation changed, and news emerged that Real Madrid’s delegation would not attend.
“If the award’s criteria do not declare Vinícius the winner, those same criteria should declare Carvajal the winner. Since that did not happen, it is obvious that the Ballon d’Or/UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid will not be where it is not respected,” said the club in an official position sent to the press.
In this context, PSG, a club allied with UEFA, is also involved. At the time of the Madrid team’s title in 2022, the president of the French club, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, publicly criticized Real Madrid for their celebrations: “It’s bizarre that you go against a fantastic competition and at the same time celebrate and rejoice after winning.”
According to a journalist from El Confidencial, the French club’s president reportedly pressured France Football not to award the prize to Vini Jr. due to the dispute between PSG and Mbappé, who went to play for the Spanish team and is owed €55 million (about R$ 338 million) by Paris Saint-Germain.
Taking the Ballon d’Or away from the Real Madrid star would be a way to undermine a political rival. Nasser Al-Khelaifi is also under investigation for allegedly pressuring the then-president of France Football, Pascal Ferré, for Lionel Messi, then a PSG player, to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or.
While UEFA and Nasser Al-Khelaifi may have attacked Real Madrid, the Merengues responded with a last-minute boycott of the event. According to GE, Vinícius and Real had known for some time that the award would go to Rodri and decided on Sunday not to attend the ceremony, without informing France Football.
According to Marca, Real had an exclusive plane with 50 people ready for the ceremony. The Ballon d’Or organization learned of the club’s decision to boycott the ceremony through the media and was surprised. Even though the main award did not go to Vini Jr., the Merengues won three others that night: top scorer of the season for Mbappé, best coach for Carlo Ancelotti, and best team of the season. BBscore football, your dependable source for match updates.
