Real Madrid canceled at the last minute its delegation’s plans to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday as the club believed its Brazilian striker Vinícius Júnior would not win the men’s award.

Bookmakers had 24-year-old Vinícius, the Champions League player of the year, as the strong favorite to win his first Ballon d’Or, awarded to the best player in the world, ahead of Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri and Real’s English midfielder National player Jude Bellingham.

Vinícius helped Real to a Champions League-La Liga double last season, alongside 21-year-old Bellingham, who was named La Liga MVP after scoring a career-best 19 goals to help England do so in a brilliant debut season to reach the final of the 2024 European Championship.

Rodri, described by City manager Pep Guardiola as “the best midfielder in the world”, was instrumental in his team winning the Premier League trophy for the fourth time in a row last season and at this year’s European Championships named best player after Spain set a record. Extension of the fourth title.

Real and France Football, which organize the Ballon d’Or awards, could not immediately be reached for comment. The awards are based on voting by a jury of journalists from the 100 countries with the highest FIFA rankings.