Ballon d’Or Awards LIVE: Vinicius Jr claims ‘they’re not ready’ as Rodri crowned amid Real Madrid boycott

The result of the Ballon d’or was such as a shock to Real Madrid that they were preparing to send a party of 50 to the ceremony in Paris, reports the Independent’s Miguel Delaney.

The club had also planned a five-hour broadcast for their official television station but club president Florentino Perez immediately scrapped the show on finding out Vinicius Jr was second.

Real Madrid’s furious reaction to the Ballon ‘Or result has continued, with Eduardo Camavinga posting in support of his team-mate Vinicius Jr and hitting out against “football politics”.

“My brother you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro,” Camavinga posted, alongside a photo of himself and the Brazil forward.

Although Rodri became just the second Spanish men’s player to lift the Ballon d’Or, the country’s premier club was barely anywhere to be seen. Despite more than one award going to the club or individuals within, nobody representing Real Madrid appeared in Paris as a dismal few days for the European champions got worse. At Manchester City, that knowledge added to the satisfaction of a worthy first ever club winner. The relationship between the clubs, especially at that media level, is poor.

It all illustrates the increasing intrigue around an award that is supposed to be so singular, in rewarding football’s dominant individual player in a calendar year. And then some.

Miguel Delaney on the Ballon d’Or:

Vinicius Junior took to social media to react after finishing second in the Ballon d’Or voting behind Manchester City’s Rodri – and rather than any kind of congratulations to the Spanish star, vowed to repeat his own campaign “ten times” over if he needed to, to earn recognition with the game’s top individual prize.

The Brazilian forward had been seen as the favourite to win for most of the build-up towards the France Football ceremony in Paris on Monday night, but shortly beforehand, rumours emerged that Rodri had in fact claimed top spot in voting.

Two deserving winners on stage tonight – but so too were two absolute giants of the game, Ballon d’Or winners in the 1990s: Hristo Stoichkov and George Weah.

Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe scored 52 goals apiece so shared the Gerd Muller Trophy. Just Kane collected it of course.

“Thank you to my club Bayern Munich, all my staff, team-mates, for helping me score all the goals I scored,” the England captain said. “It’s an honour to take this award from a club legend (Karl-Heinz Rummenigge), thank you very much.”

Plenty of smiles and celebrations for those who bothered to turn up – and for Emma Hayes, with a recorded message for her triumph as the top coach in the women’s game.

Bit of a clean sweep for Spanish football tonight!

Rodri became the third person not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the award since 2008. It was the first time since 2003 in which neither Messi nor Ronaldo made the final 30-man list of nominees.

Portugal’s Ronaldo, who has won the award five times and was the last Premier League player to win it in 2008, also failed to receive a nomination last year after moving to Saudi Arabia. Messi, who won for a record eighth time in 2023, missed out despite Argentina’s Copa America triumph.

Rodri has only lost a match once in the past 18 months – City’s surprise FA Cup final defeat by Manchester United last season.

Earlier, Rodri’s national teammate Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player by helping Spain to a perfect Euro 2024 campaign, winning all seven games en route to lifting the trophy.

Bonmati won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive year while compatriot Jennifer Hermoso was awarded the Socrates Award for her role in the fight for women’s rights in football and her courageous stance against sexism in sport.

Real Madrid had somewhat signalled Rodri’s success before the ceremony began as their delegation cancelled their trip to the French capital.

In a statement reported by Spanish newspaper AS, the club said: “If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to (Dani) Carvajal as the winner.

“As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or does not respect Real Madrid. Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”

Yet Madrid finished the night with two awards and a share of a third, and with four players in the top six in the final ranking for the men’s Ballon d’Or – Vinicius, Bellingham, Carvajal and Kylian Mbappe, who finished sixth in the voting, one place behind Rodri’s team-mate Erling Haaland.

“Incredible night for me,” said Rodri, who is out for the season after injuring his ACL last month and arrived on crutches to the ceremony. “One of my key things is I always try to improve every game.

“I just want to say thank you again to the people who recognize my value in the game,” he said. “When I was a kid I never thought of winning the Ballon d’Or, but in the last years I’ve been playing the highest level.”

“He is a player completely without ego, whose performance level over a very long period of time has been exceptional,” Man City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain said. “The consistency he has shown is the result of hard work and dedication.”