After the Man City midfielder's triumph, France Football humiliated Los Blancos even more than Barcelona had in Saturday's Clasico
Toni Kroos just doesn't get it. He just doesn't understand why the Ballon d'Or is so important. Which is strange given he played for Real Madrid for a decade…
The now-retired Germany should be acutely aware of the significance of the award, and yet he said before this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony that he didn't really care who won. When it emerged that his former club were boycotting the event after somehow learning that Vinicius Jr wouldn't be crowned 'the best player in the world', Kroos was somewhat mystified, arguing that these trinkets and titles "have no place" in the game.
Imagine a football world without the Ballon d'Or, though… Players, press and supporters focused solely on team trophies – dreadfully dull, isn't it?! It'd be like getting rid of the rigmarole surrounding Champions League draw ceremonies – a terrifying thought!…
No, while Kroos and his kind can argue their case all they want, it's long since become clear that while football remains ostensibly a team game, all about individual accolades these days – and there is no more prestigious prize than the Ballon d'Or. It is the ultimate honour and carries more weight than any shared success.
Madrid, then, were absolutely right to boycott Monday's ceremony in Paris, having been even more humiliated by organisersthan they had been by Barcelona on Saturday…
Getty'Ballon d'Or and UEFA don't respect Madrid'
For starters, Madrid only found out on Sunday that Vinicius wouldn't be winning – a shocking show of disrespect, given the identity of the victor is usually shared/leaked weeks beforehand. Consequently, travel arrangements had already been made, parties previously planned. Spare a thought, too, for the sports brands that had already prepared a special Ballon d'Or-themed boot for Vinicius – so much time, money and effort wasted.
Some will argue that the Madrid contingent could have still attended the ceremony; that they looked pathetic and petty by failing to turn up – but why would they have subjected themselves to a public shaming? Remember, they ended up winning Team of the Year and Coach of the Year (Carlo Ancelotti)… Furthermore, four Madrid players finished in the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or vote, with Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal finishing just second, third and fourth, respectively.
As a club source told , "It is obvious that the Ballon d'Or and UEFA do not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid [does not go] where it is not respected."
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Football politics'
Vinicius' team-mate Eduardo Camavinga decried the "football politics" at play in the Ballon d'Or vote, which is something that Madrid have always nobly refused to engage in, outside of trying to tear the very fabric of European football apart by forming a closed-off Super League for the continent's elite clubs… In reality, all they've ever done is invest a huge amount of time, money and effort into ensuring their candidate comes out on top.
"Florentino Perez orchestrates the campaigns well," former director of France Football, Pascal Ferre, once told the . "There are machines like Real Madrid that are very strong… They know how this works. It's no coincidence that it's the club with the most players to have won the Ballon d'Or (eight)."
How many more times would Madrid have taken home the trophy, though, were it not for the organisers' anti-Real agenda?…
Getty ImagesWhy always Madrid?!
Remember, it's usually hard to find any flaws in the Ballon d'Or voting process… The criteria are clear, meaning the results are nearly always consistent. The process ever seems to fail when a Madrid player is in the running.
Granted, Los Blancos have had nine victors in the 21st century – Cristiano Ronaldo was a particularly worthy winner in 2013 – but no other club seems to suffer the same kind of injustice.
Indeed, if you forget about Thierry Henry, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Ribery, Wesley Sneijder, Deco and every single world-class defender and goalkeeper of the past two decades, Madrid players have even been cruelly overlooked by Ballon d'Or voters… It just begs the question: why always them?!
Getty Images SportRobbed by Rodri!
Madrid are entitled to feel that Vinicius was robbed. Other than actually turn up at the Copa America, what more could the Brazilian have done to convince the doubters?… At the end of the day, he was decisive for Madrid in the Champions League – the competition in world football that really counts in the Ballon d'Or voting… Well, depending on the year.
The bottom line is that Rodri (unfortunately, it's probably time to mention the actual victor), who was part of the Manchester City side eliminated by Madrid in the quarter-finals of last season's Champions League, was not a credible candidate. He only scored nine times last season, for crying out loud! By complete contrast, Vinicius was directly involved in 33 goals in 2023-24 – 15 players across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues managed more…