 "Real Madrid skipped the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony for the second year in a row. Image: Reuters")
Real Madrid did not attend the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday, September 22. This marked the second year in a row the La Liga giants have skipped football’s most prestigious awards night. PSG’s Ousmane Dembele won the men’s Ballon d’Or award, beating Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and his teammate Vitinha. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati won the women’s award.
Why did Real Madrid skip the ceremony?
One of the reasons could be that no Real Madrid player made it to the top three of the 2025 Ballon d’Or. However, there could be another reason for this apparent boycott by the Spanish club. The club withdrew from the awards last year after their star player Vinicius Junior did not win the Ballon d’Or, which went to Manchester City’s Rodri instead.
“If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner. As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected,” the club told AFP last year.
Club president Florentino Perez is believed to think that UEFA influenced the decision last year because of Real Madrid’s support for the European Super League.
Despite the boycott in 2024, the team was named Men’s Club of the Year and their then-manager Carlo Ancelotti won the Johan Cruyff Trophy, awarded to the best coach of the season.
Who from Real Madrid was nominated in 2025?
The club had three players nominated for the men’s award - Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham. Thibaut Courtois was nominated for the Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper) and Dean Huijsen for the Kopa Trophy (best under-21 player). None of them attended the ceremony in Paris.
Other reasons why Madrid boycotted the ceremony?
Real Madrid also had a Ligue 1 match against Levante just 24 hours after the ceremony, making it difficult for them to attend. After Real Madrid’s Champions League win over Marseille last week, Mbappe had told reporters that he would watch the Ballon d’Or ceremony on TV.
PSG’s night of glory
While Real Madrid stayed away, it was a great night for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Their manager, Luis Enrique, won the Johann Cruyff Trophy for the best coach of the previous season. He beat other top names like Antonio Conte, Arne Slot, Enzo Maresca, and Hansi Flick.
Enrique’s award was for winning PSG’s first UEFA Champions League title, along with Ligue 1 and Coupe de France victories. Despite winning, Enrique was not at the Theatre du Chatelet to collect his trophy because he was coaching PSG in Marseille in a Ligue 1 match.