The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony will be missing some of the sport’s biggest superstars, including Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.

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Hours before the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, Mario Cortegana of The Athletic reported that Rodri would take home football’s most prestigious individual award, ahead of Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian was the favorite to win the honor and reportedly decided to stay in Madrid after receiving the news.

Vinícius Jr.’s teammates and nominees, including Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rüdiger and Federico Valverde, are also absent from the ceremony. Bellingham in particular belonged to Vinicius Jr. and Rodri who had a chance to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but his seat at the Théâtre du Châtelet is empty.

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti also did not travel to Paris despite his nomination and won for the Men’s Coach of the Year Trophy. The club’s president, Florentino Pérez, also stayed at home, along with Arda Güler, who was nominated for the 2024 Kopa Trophy.

Although Rodri topped the Premier League with Manchester City and helped Spain win the 2024 European Championship, Vinícius Jr. would take home the Ballon d’Or this year for his contributions to Los Blancos’ winning La Liga, Champions League and Spanish Super Cup campaigns. The 24-year-old even became the youngest player in UCL history to score in two Champions League finals, breaking Lionel Messi’s long-standing record.

Real Madrid’s performance in the 2023-2024 season, led by the efforts of Vinícius Jr. and Bellingham, earned the team a nomination and win for Men’s Club of the Year. No one was present on behalf of the club to receive the award.

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