Real Madrid slammed for lack of respect as Vinicius Jr set to snub Ballon d'Or ceremony

Vinicius Jr was one of the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or on Monday, but Real Madrid have decided not to send a delegation to the awards ceremony in Paris with Rodri set to win the award

Guillem Balague has criticised Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid's decision to snub Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, with the Brazilian set to miss out on the accolade.

Vinicius Jr and Manchester City's Rodri were the oddsmakers' favourites to lift the coveted prize, which is awarded to the outstanding player in European football over the past 12 months.

Vini was the driving force of Los Blancos' La Liga and Champions League triumphs earlier this year, but Marca reports the club has learned its star player will not receive the award and decided not to send a delegation to Paris for the awards ceremony.

The ceremony is due to begin at 7.30pm and a private jet taking the club's nominees – Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger, plus manager Carlo Ancelotti – was scheduled to take off this afternoon.

But with the award set to go to Rodri – a talisman in City and Spain's Premier League and Euro 2024 wins respectively – Real has scrapped its plans with its players told to stay home.

Spanish football journalist Balague, who featured on Sky Sports and the BBC over the years, has blasted the decision. He expressed his disappointment, saying: "Ok, Vini You haven't won, but you should show respect for the winner, the biggest sign of sportmanship. Nobody from Real Madrid traveling to Paris today for the Ballon d'Or ceremony."

Vinicius Jr, with 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 appearances last season, was a key player for Real Madrid, netting a vital goal in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund. Despite being the bookies' favourite to win at the Theatre de Chatelet, it appears Rodri has been favoured by the voters.

The Ballon d'Or, established by France Football magazine in 1956, has its winner chosen by a panel of 100 journalists from nations ranked in FIFA's top 100. The journalists pick their top five from a shortlist of 30, which also includes Manchester City talents like Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland, with a points system awarding six points for first-place votes.

The Ballon d'Or Feminin, honouring Europe's top female footballer, will also be announced in Paris on Monday, with Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati a frontrunner to claim the golden ball for a second consecutive year, with teammate Caroline Graham Hansen also in the running.