On Sunday, less than 24 hours after the heavy 4-0 Clasico defeat to Barcelona at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid experienced another shocking turn of events.

The order came from the highest circles of the club to cancel the trip to Paris planned for Monday, where everyone expected, among other things, that Vinicius Junior would win the Ballon d’Or.

Real Madrid were told that this would not be the case and that the winner would not be Dani Carvajal either. The club’s second captain and captain of last year’s European champions Spain was Los Blancos’ other big candidate.

In the club’s offices they argued that if Vinicius Jr. did not win and they hoped for the European Championship, Carvajal would have to be ahead of the others, including another Madrid player, the Englishman Jude Bellingham.

But neither Vinicius Jr. nor Carvajal were able to lift the trophy in the end, sparking outrage and anger in Madrid. As a result, no one from the club was present at the event to see Rodri, another Spanish European Championship winner but a star for Premier League champions Manchester City, being crowned the world’s best footballer for 2023-24.

Here, The athlete puts you in a terrible 48 hours for Vinicius Jr. and Madrid.

Nobody at Real Madrid expected this outcome.

More than in previous years, great efforts were made to maintain secrecy and prevent the identity of the winners from being revealed. Interviews and photo shoots that used to take place before the ceremony have been postponed until after.

While some reports in Spain suggested that Vinicius Jr. would be crowned the winner for the first time, The athlete reported on Monday that neither Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr. nor most of the staff at France Football (the publication that created the award) knew the winner.

Previously, people in Madrid had full confidence that Vinicius Jr. would lift the trophy.

“I think he will win the Ballon d’Or because of his performance last year, which helped us win the Champions League, and not because of the three goals today,” Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday after the 24-year-old’s award Hat trick inspired his team to a comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund.

That hope was partly a consolation, a painkiller for Saturday’s home defeat to Barcelona, ​​a result that gave Hansi Flick’s side six points clear at the top of La Liga.

However, on Sunday morning Vinicius was informed that he would not win the Ballon d’Or. It was a shock for him and everyone around him, even if in the weeks leading up to it they always claimed they didn’t know what was going to happen.

The player and his employees had prepared extensively for the trip with around 30 travel companions, including people from his agency, family and friends. Some of his guests had come from Brazil specifically for this purpose. An afterparty was also planned for Monday’s event.

Several sources, who, like others in this article, wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, said so The athlete that Nike, Vinicius’ main sports sponsor, had prepared special football boots to celebrate an eventual victory. In addition, they had organized an event in Madrid that was to be attended by the footballer, people close to him and influencers. Nike has been contacted for comment.

As Sunday afternoon turned into evening, the club informed many more people, including Ancelotti, that they would not be traveling, even though a delegation of around 50 people had been scheduled to do so. The order came from above.

At one point it was expected that Emilio Butragueno, director of institutional relations, would travel, but this too was finally ruled out on Monday. That meant Real Madrid had no one on hand to accept the Men’s Club of the Year award and no one to accept Ancelotti’s Men’s Coach of the Year award.

“It is not good for football that a club as important as Madrid and with so many fans around the world is not present at such a gala,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told Movistar.

“I was surprised, yes, because I had spoken to someone from Real Madrid who said they would come here at 1:30 p.m. and suddenly I’m at the hotel and I’m surprised by the news,” said Luis Figo, Los The Los Blancos legend and a Ballon d’Or winner, said Movistar.

For the more attentive, there was a hint on Monday morning: surprisingly, Real Madrid TV would be showing a film at the same time as the Ballon d’Or gala. There is also no mention of the awards received on the club’s website or social media.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Real Madrid privately reported that the growing rumors were true.

“If the award criteria do not declare Vinicius the winner, the same criteria should declare Carvajal the winner,” said a club source The athlete. “As this was not the case, it is obvious that the UEFA Ballon d’Or does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid is not where it is not respected.”

Minutes later, people from Vinicius’ agency confirmed this The athlete that after being informed by the club they were in Madrid and would not travel to Paris.

Club sources said they found out because Manchester City knew Rodri would be the winner.

Real Madrid were quick to point out that the name of the award is Ballon d’Or-UEFA, as European football’s governing body is involved in organizing the event. The club and UEFA have been at war since Madrid’s involvement in a planned European Super League.

“I think there are issues between Real Madrid and UEFA that have affected the results on a number of things,” former Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf told TNT Sports on the red carpet in Paris. “Vinicius Junior is the one who definitely deserves the award. It’s a shame.”

What is noteworthy is that the award is decided on the basis of a vote of 100 journalists.

During the afternoon, the law of silence was introduced in Vinicius Jr.’s camp. Members of the team were asked not to speak to the press for a period of time.

But at 6:30 p.m., a friend of Vinicius Jr. made the first public reaction.

“But this award, which does not go into your hands, only shows the mentality of those who are afraid of our presence,” wrote singer MC Maneirinho, receiving likes from other friends and agency members.

The day left Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr. with one question in particular: What else does he have to do to win the Ballon d’Or?

Winning the Champions League (involved in 11 goals in 10 games, including one in the final), La Liga (involved in 21 goals in 26 games, an average of one every 89 minutes) and the Spanish Super Cup (hat-trick in the final). against Barcelona) wasn’t enough. So what would happen?

(Top photo: Getty Images; Design: John Bradford)