Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid were noticeably absent from the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony for a second consecutive year.
The biggest stars, managers and clubs in football arrived in Paris to take their places at the Théâtre du Châtelet on Monday evening. Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal headlined the ceremony, alongside Aitana Bonmatí and Lucy Bronze, but there were several glaring faces missing from the crowd.
Mbappé, who is nominated for the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or award, did not make the trip to France. His fellow nominees Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham were also missing from the festivities.
Kopa Trophy nominee Dean Huijsen and Yashin Trophy nominee Thibaut Courtois did not attend the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony as well, leaving Real Madrid without a single representative at the most prestigious award ceremony in the sport.
Why Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid Aren’t at 2025 Ballon d’Or Ceremony
Real Madrid had a public falling out with France Football after Vinícius Júnior lost out to Rodri for the 2024 Men's Ballon d'Or award. The entire club boycotted last year’s ceremony and now once again remained in Spain this year.
Although the Spanish giants did not give an explicit reason for missing out on the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony, new boss Xabi Alonso revealed his focus is on Real Madrid’s upcoming match against Levante in less than 24 hours.
“I watch a lot of football, but it’s not my topic. I don’t have to vote, we’ll see who wins after the gala. I haven’t thought about it too much,” Alonso said in his prematch press conference.
“We have a match against Levante tomorrow, and every game is very important. My focus is solely on Levante,” he added.
France Football reportedly tried to repair their broken relationship with Real Madrid ahead of this year’s ceremony, but the talks did not end well between the two parties.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid Aren’t at 2025 Ballon d’Or Ceremony.
