The selection process of the previous edition of the Ballon d'Or led to a complete estrangement and breakdown in relations between the award's organizers (now jointly organized by France Football and UEFA) and Real Madrid. Real Madrid holds the view that during the selection of the world's best player, various incidents that unfolded at the award ceremony were seriously inconsistent with the actual situation. Despite the club believing everything seemed to be in place, their Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior ultimately missed out on the top honor, which eventually went to Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
A direct consequence of this incident was Real Madrid's collective boycott of last year's Ballon d'Or ceremony held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The club cancelled the schedules of all its senior officials and players, including Carlo Ancelotti (the winner of the Best Coach award), Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Vinícius Júnior—who had even already been in Paris preparing a celebration party in anticipation of being crowned the world's best player.
Real Madrid's last-minute withdrawal dimmed the luster of the Paris ceremony and shocked the entire football world. Tied with FC Barcelona, Real Madrid is the club with the most men's Ballon d'Or awards in history, boasting a total of 12 wins. Alfredo Di Stéfano, Luís Figo, Ronaldo Nazário, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, and Karim Benzema all claimed this prestigious honor while wearing Real Madrid's white jersey, a tally that far surpasses any other club.
Over the past few months, France Football has been making efforts to repair its relationship with Real Madrid. A delegation from the French institution even made a special trip to Madrid for consultations, but the talks failed to yield substantive results. Their aim is to reach a reconciliation with Real Madrid regarding the 2024-25 season ceremony, which is scheduled for September 22.
To this day, Real Madrid still cannot comprehend everything that transpired in the previous selection—particularly the sudden change in scoring rules and the application of certain selection criteria. Since the last edition, UEFA's involvement has also done nothing to improve the bilateral relationship, as the ties between Real Madrid and UEFA at the institutional level were already deteriorating.
In addition to the men's and women's Ballon d'Or, the ceremony that night will also feature the presentation of the Kopa Trophy (Best Young Player), Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper), Gerd Müller Trophy (Top Scorer), and Johan Cruyff Trophy (Best Coach)—all of which have both men's and women's categories.
Meanwhile, the best men's and women's football clubs will also be selected, along with the Sokratis Award, which honors charitable and social contributions within the football community.
Notably, due to the conflict between the organizers and Real Madrid, Ancelotti has yet to receive his Best Coach trophy for the 2023-24 season, and the reserved display space for this award in his personal museum remains vacant.
