A Ballon d’Or official has said Real Madrid’s boycott of the ceremony is “ridiculous”.
The club had decided not to travel to Paris after reports emerged that Vinicius Junior would not win the Ballon d’Or.
“Real Madrid’s decision is ridiculous,” the official told EFE Deportes.
“Nobody knows who will win the Ballon d’Or yet, no one has been told, neither a player, an official nor a club.”
Spanish media reported that Real Madrid learned from Manchester City that Rodri would win the Ballon d’Or.
Real Madrid considered this to be extremely unfair, and that if Vinicius had lost the award, Dani Carvajal should have won it.
Real Madrid believe that those responsible for the Ballon d’Or do not respect the club or the criteria set for the award, which is why it was decided that no representative from Los Blancos would attend the ceremony.
