PARIS, Oct 29, V7N- The Ballon d'Or ceremony took place Monday at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris, with noticeable absences from several Real Madrid stars, including Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, after Real Madrid chose to boycott the event. Real Madrid reportedly questioned the selection criteria for the Ballon d'Or, suggesting that Vinicius or defender Dani Carvajal deserved recognition. Seven players from Real Madrid were shortlisted, including Vinicius, Antonio Rudiger, Fede Valverde, and Toni Kroos, but none appeared on the red carpet.
Despite the absence of Real Madrid’s double-winning stars, speculation grew around Manchester City’s Rodri as a strong candidate to win the award, especially for his role in helping Spain secure the European Championship title. The Ballon d'Or organizers clarified that no player or club was informed about the winners in advance.
During the event, Real Madrid was awarded Best Men’s Team of the Year, although a video of the team played in their absence. Other awards saw Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, only 17, win the Raymond Kopa award for best under-21 player, while Bayern Munich's Harry Kane received the Gerd Mueller Trophy for his scoring achievements, sharing the spotlight with Kylian Mbappe.
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