Carlo Ancelotti made the decision for Real Madrid to skip Ballon d’Or gala – report | OneFootball

The 2024 Ballon d’Or gala will go down in history as one of the most controversial ones, primarily because of the absence of European champions Real Madrid.

Indeed, the Madrid delegation decided to boycott the event after learning their star player Vinicius Junior was snubbed the Ballon d’Or title.

It was Rodri, who ended up winning the coveted trophy through popular vote, leaving Real Madrid extremely upset and angry with the association.

The Spanish giants have already started pointing fingers at the UEFA for allegedly being involved in snubbing Vinicius.

Ancelotti made the decision to boycott

A recent report from COPE has revealed that the decision to boycott the event was made by none other than head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Even though the Italian was awarded the Best Manager of the Year title, he led the decision to boycott the event, as a gesture of support to Vinicius.

Heartbreak for Vinicius (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Real Madrid, after all, were fully convinced that the Brazilian would bag the precious title, especially following an excellent 2023/24 campaign that saw him win the Champions League and La Liga titles.

Naturally, the news of Rodri’s triumph came as a shock to Ancelotti, who, keeping the well-being of Vinicius, in mind, took the initiative from Real Madrid’s end.

As per the report, the decision to boycott the event was not an act of protest, but it was a gesture of support towards Vinicius, who was dealing with a difficult time after learning about the result.

One thing is for sure – as the Brazilian international looks to recover from this shock, he is expected to receive the full support of his teammates and coach. Just how soon he can get back to his groove, though, remains to be seen.