The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony took place without some of the sport’s biggest superstars, including Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.

Hours before the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, Mario Cortegana of The Athletic reported that Rodri would take home football’s most prestigious individual award ahead of Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian was the heavy favorite for the honor and reportedly decided to stay in Madrid when he received news that he had been overlooked.

Vinícius Jr.’s teammates and nominees, including Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rüdiger and Federico Valverde, were also absent from the ceremony. Bellingham in particular had the highest odds of winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or alongside Vinícius Jr. and Rodri, but his seat at the Théâtre du Châtelet was empty.

Join the Real Madrid WhatsApp community at SI Soccer – get all the latest news and analysis straight to your phone

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also did not travel to Paris despite being nominated and winning the Men’s Coach of the Year trophy. The club’s president, Florentino Pérez, also stayed at home, as did Arda Güler, who was nominated for the 2024 Kopa Trophy.

Although Rodri led the Premier League with Manchester City and helped Spain win Euro 2024, Vinícius Jr. should win the Ballon d’Or this year for his contributions to Los Blancos’ victories in La Liga, the Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup . The 24-year-old even became the youngest player in UCL history to score in two Champions League finals, breaking Lionel Messi’s long-standing record.

Real Madrid’s successes in the 2023–24 season, led by Vinícius Jr. and Bellingham, earned the team a nomination and a win for Men’s Club of the Year. No one from the club was present to accept the award.

READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE