Madrid Ends Award Ceremony Boycott
Real Madrid will have official representation at the Ballon d'Or ceremony again. Kylian Mbappé is set to lead the Spanish club delegation at the event on Monday in London.
This attendance ends a period where the team refused to take part in the event. Real Madrid boycotted the last two editions because they were angry that former Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the 2024 men's award ahead of Vinícius Júnior.
The club did make an exception last year. They allowed Caroline Weir to attend after she was nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin award. Director Emilio Butragueño will accompany the traveling players to London for this edition.
Mbappe Aims for Top Individual Prize
Sources report that the delegation travels to England hopeful that Mbappé can clinch his first Ballon d'Or trophy. The French forward earns his nomination following standout performances for both club and country.
Mbappé finished as the top scorer at the 2026 World Cup. He was also the top scorer in the Champions League and La Liga. He faces direct competition for the award from Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.
Defender Marc Cucurella is also nominated for the main award and will attend the ceremony. The left back moved to Real Madrid from Chelsea in August after helping Spain win the World Cup.
Young Stars Join London Delegation
Real Madrid will also be represented in the youth categories. Teenage winger Yan Diomande will attend the gala after being nominated for the Kopa Trophy. That award is handed to the best performing player under the age of 21.
Diomande is the record summer signing for Real Madrid. His transfer from his previous club was completed for a fee worth up to 140 million euros.
Swedish teenage forward Felicia Schröder is also traveling to London. The 19 year old is nominated for the women's Kopa Trophy. She became the most expensive transfer of all time in women's football when she joined Real Madrid from Swedish side BK Hacken for 1.5 million euros.
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