‘Many players wanted to attend’ – Who made the call for Real Madrid to boycott Ballon d’Or? | OneFootball

A fresh insight into the call made by La Liga giants Real Madrid not to attend the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony has on Tuesday been provided.

And it points towards the decision as having been far from a collective one…

Real, of course, did not have a single member of the club’s first-team setup – players, coaches or staff – present at the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris two weeks ago.

This came as a form of protest, after Los Blancos were made aware that Vinícius Jr. had been overlooked for the prize, in favour of Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

The move was widely criticised across the world of football, amid the consensus that Real, as a whole, behaved petulantly and in an unsportsmanlike fashion.

And, if the latest word stemming from the media on Tuesday is anything to go by, then it would appear that several leading figures at the Santiago Bernabéu were aware that such a backlash may lie in wait.

As per a report from Relevo:

‘Many players and even managers wanted to attend the awards,’ even after learning of Vinícius’ snub.

Several, in fact, were on their way to the airport preparing to board a private jet upon being informed that their travel had been cancelled at the last minute.

The man solely behind this call? Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez.

Conor Laird – GSFN