The international press, especially the French press, has viciously attacked Real Madrid. Its image has been damaged by its decision to withdraw from the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Yesterday, newspaper Marca reported that "the Ballon d'Or ceases to exist for Real Madrid." Outsiders are questioning the values and the prestige of the club. They accuse them of being bad losers.
"Real Madrid lacked class, they didn't respect the winners"
France soccer editor-in-chief Vincent García has replied to the Whites: "Obviously, Vinícius surely suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top 5. Mathematically, that took away some points from him.
"This also sums up Real Madrid's season. Three and four players were featured and the judges shared their decisions between them, which benefited Rodri," he added.
García hints that he was under pressure from Real Madrid to reveal the secret of the Ballon d'Or winner. "I was under a lot of pressure from Real Madrid but, as with other clubs, I was always clear and fair and perhaps my silence pushed them over the edge."
And he clarifies: "But it was the same as with the others. I was very unpleasantly surprised by his absence."
Vincent García doesn't accept that there be talk of "deception": "We were very clear with them and with all the other clubs. This year, the winner and the prize-winner were not going to be notified."
"I thought everyone had accepted but at the last minute, I don't know why, they wanted to change the rule. When Real Madrid made their decision, I'm not sure whether there was some disappointment."
"Madrid lacked class and spat on the winners' faces"
L'Équipe, for its part, has responded to Real Madrid with a harsh editorial signed by Vincent Duluc: "An electoral defeat and a moral defeat." It adds: "Real Madrid, which doesn't accept that the winner should not be known in advance, nor that it wasn't them, ended up refusing to come because of the rumor of Vinícius's defeat, taking its other winners, Carlo Ancelotti and Kylian Mbappé, in particular, hostage."
And a harsh attack on Real Madrid: “By refusing to attend the ceremony, Real Madrid lacked class and trampled on this value of sport which consists of respecting its winners.
"Unthinkable at a big club like Bayern"
Le Parisien, for its part, writes that “the absence of the Real Madrid representatives, despite the three trophies awarded, was suppressed as far as possible both by the organisation and by the great winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or, Rodri. Nobody wanted to make it the main theme of the gala evening.”
And Real Madrid was snubbed, according to Le Parisien: “Real Madrid decided not to come? Good for them. This was, in short, the message sent by the Ballon d'Or organisation (France Football and UEFA) at the awards ceremony.”
In Germany, Bild explains that “It is difficult to top what the glorious Real Madrid has done in terms of disrespect.” The attack on Real Madrid goes even further: “Is that what the Reales want to be? No, in this case they are the pathetic ones! (...) It is unthinkable that a great club like Bayern Munich, which has been run for decades by true sportsmen like Rummenigge, Hoeness and Beckenbauer, would allow itself to be carried away by such a shameful action.”
"there's always fraud when others win"
La Gazzetta dello Sport also refers to "Real Madrid's bad losing streak, which seeks to democratically impose long-standing participants in the Super League and doesn't seem to realize that it is the history of soccer, the strongest team of all time, the example, the dream of everyone, regardless of the Ballon d'Or. But times change."
"This seems like a farce. Certain that the striker would win, due to an anticipation that was at least exaggerated, but which was fueled until it became a reality, Real Madrid took the return to reality very badly. We know that there's always fraud in the voting when others win." This is how they make fun of it in Italy.