Will Real Madrid once again snub Ballon d'Or ceremony?

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :September 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM

Modified at :September 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Los Blancos are unlikely to attend the 2025 gala in September.

Real Madrid’s prolonged conflict with Ballon d’Or award continues? Will the club once again rule out attending the ceremony? – this time for the 2025 edition on 22nd September.

According to Marca, Madrid’s sour relationship with Ballon d’Or continues to deteriorate after the award was handed to Rodri instead of Vinicius Jr last year. It resulted in the club boycotting the gala and cancelling their plans to attend the event the previous year.

Now it seems the state of affairs will persist as reports state that the club will once again snub the (2025) gala. This is despite France Football’s attempt to restore the relationship by sending a delegation to Madrid to hold talks regarding the upcoming Ballon d’Or event.

Madrid could snub the 2025 Ballon d’Or event

Vinicius Jr Real Madrid CF — MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 23: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring their side’s second goal during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and Girona FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 23, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

However, France Football appears to have failed to resolve its relationship with the club, raising doubts over Madrid’s visit to the 2025 event.

Moreover, Madrid’s strained relationship with the award isn’t only because of Vinicius failing to win the prize, but also due to broader changes to the award’s criteria.

Recently, Madrid argued new scoring system and the involvement of UEFA, which has only added fuel to the flames and further fractured their relationship. Madrid players have dominated the award with the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema having won it.

But in recent years, the club have lost trust in the award’s merit. They couldn’t grasp how Vinicius didn’t win the award following his productive season and leading them to the UEFA Champions League.

France Football and UEFA, now co-organisers of the award, hope to revive their relationship with the club and avoid any such situation as last year, going ahead. However, it remains to be seen now if Madrid will travel to France in the coming weeks for the gala.

With Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele touted to be the favourites, it will be interesting to see who lifts their maiden award this year.

Why did Madrid not attend last year’s Ballon d’Or?

The club feel Vinicus losing the award was unfair, and many other reasons.

By how many points did Vinicius lose the 2024 award?

He lost the prize by just 41 points.

When is the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony?

It’s on 22nd September.

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Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.