Real Madrid continue their silent boycott of the Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s tense relationship with the Ballon d’Or shows no signs of easing, with a report from SPORT affirming that the club continues to keep its distance from football’s most prestigious individual award, acting as if it no longer holds any value.

This cold war began last year, and the situation hasn’t changed, even after several of their players were named on the latest shortlist.

The cracks in this relationship appeared in 2024, when Vinicius Jr. lost out on the Ballon d’Or to Rodri.

Bitterness from last year

The announcement came just hours before the official ceremony in Paris, which led Real Madrid to cancel their travel plans entirely. The club refused to attend the event in what many considered a strong protest.

In the days that followed, tension rose even further. Reports suggested that UEFA’s influence may have played a role in the decision, especially since the Ballon d’Or was organised in partnership with France Football and UEFA for the first time.

Real Madrid will continue to boycott the Ballon d’Or. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Considering UEFA and Real Madrid have been at odds for years, especially over the Super League project, the club’s silence sent a clear message of dissatisfaction and mistrust.

Madrid refusing to acknowledge the award

Despite having several players nominated this year, Real Madrid have kept completely quiet. There has been no mention of the nominations on the club’s website or social media accounts. None of the three male nominees have shared their joy either.

Interestingly, the only ones to publicly acknowledge the nominations were Caroline Weir, Dean Huijsen, and Linda Caicedo, who posted about it on Instagram.

“Honoured to be on this list alongside so many good players,” Weir wrote on her Instagram.

This silence makes one thing crystal clear that for Real Madrid, the Ballon d’Or is no longer relevant. Their quiet stance is a loud statement – it is as if the award does not exist at all in their world.