An infernal discomfort. At the center of the Ballon d’Or ceremony that crowned Spanish midfielder Rodri, there was a small group of absentees doing their job. 50, exactly, the guests of Real Madrid who at the beginning of the afternoon decided to boycott the evening at the Châtelet theatre, convinced that their colt Vinicius would not be the lucky one.
A grotesque reaction, justified by lunar press releases, which gave an almost surreal tone to the evening. No member of Real Madrid was present to collect the various trophies presented to the White House, both that of best club and that of best manager addressed to Carlo Ancelotti.
Asked how to react to the Chaîne l’Equipe boycott, France Football editor-in-chief and Ballon d’Or coach Vincent Garcia first tried to smother the fish: “I could tell you what happened.” passed, it’s pretty simple, but tonight I want to talk about the winner, which is a beautiful winner. It doesn’t happen so often that there is a winner of the Spanish Ballon d’Or.”
Reassured when he explains his choices to change the organization of the evening and not to inform anyone in advance, he is more talkative and starts again: “The big clubs have all insisted on having the information”, he says. We were very clear with them, and for several months, that no one would be notified. Everyone accepted it but at the last moment some panicked and wanted to change the rules of the game.”
However, he assures, “no one was aware of the result, neither from Real nor from City. Maybe they had a feeling… But when Madrid made the decision, and I don’t know if there was an element of bluff, they couldn’t be 100% sure. If Vinicius had won it would have been a shame for him…”
Vincent Garcia admits he had a complicated Monday. “I had a lot of pressure from Real Madrid, but I was always clear, honest, and perhaps my silence (and it was the same with Real Madrid) made it seem like confirmation.”
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