Former France head coach Raymond Domenech has slammed Real Madrid for not showing up for the Ballon d’Or ceremony, calling the reigning European champions a “small club.”
Real Madrid Skipped Ballon d’Or Gala After Vinicius Jr. Snub
Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. was the overwhelming favorite to win the Ballon d’Or award at the Chatelet Theater in Paris on Monday, October 28. However, hours before the ceremony, news broke that the award had gone to Manchester City midfielder Rodri. According to some reports, Man City themselves informed Madrid of the decision.
Furious with the late twist, Los Blancos decided to cancel their flight to Paris, sending Emilio Butragueno as their sole emissary. Vinicius Jr., who had broken into the top three of the Ballon d’Or rankings for the first time in his career, took to social media to react to the snub, suggesting he did not miss out due to sporting reasons.
He wrote (translated):
“I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”
According to GOAL, Vinicius Jr. believes his fight against racism cost him the victory in Paris.
France Legend Slams Los Blancos’ Decision to Miss Ballon d’Or
On Tuesday (October 29), France Football’s chief editor Vincent Garcia dismissed suggestions of bias while criticizing Real Madrid for posing as a victim. Domenech has delivered an even more scathing reaction.
“It is said that Real Madrid is a great club, and Real Madrid itself wants it to be said that it is,” he said (via GOAL).
“In the meantime, it turns out that it is a small club. Very small! What it did is absolutely pathetic. They showed a lack of respect for football, the other participants of the gala and the winners. It’s frankly repulsive.”
The 2006 FIFA World Cup finalist added:
“Someone defined them well by saying something like ‘Real doesn’t start a game until they know what result it will end up with‘.
“They must understand that the world of football does not revolve around them. Real have a white shirt, but yesterday, in my opinion, this shirt was very stained.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also believes Vinicius Jr. should have been there for the gala in Paris. He noted how graciously Erling Haaland reacted after his loss to Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or 2023.
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