Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has taken a dig at Real Madrid ahead of the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony.
Barca’s Lamine Yamal is one of the favourites to win the most coveted individual honour in world football this year after helping his side to the La Liga title ahead of Los Blancos.
He will face stiff competition from Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele, who helped the French giants to their first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph as well as the Ligue 1 title.
Madrid also have several players on the shortlist, including Kylian Mbappe, who scored 44 goals and provided five assists in 59 appearances across all competitions last term.
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However, representatives from the 15-time Champions League winners will reportedly skip the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony for the second season running.
Madrid representatives reportedly refused to attend last year’s ceremony after their star forward Vinicius Junior missed out on the main prize.
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri took home the award this time last year after a sensational 12 months for club and country.
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Madrid did not walk away empty-handed, though, as Carlo Ancelotti was named coach of the year and Madrid itself were named club of the year.
The Spanish giants will now miss this year’s ceremony too, in part due to a scheduling issue.
Madrid are set to face Levante in La Liga on Tuesday night.
However, Flick believes that every club should attend the ceremony to show respect to the winners.
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"It’s very important to be there and show respect to the winners,” he has been quoted as saying by The Touchline.
Madrid are currently top of the La Liga table ahead of their clash with Levante on Tuesday.
Xabi Alonso’s side are two points clear of bitter rivals Barcelona.
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Other players on the shortlist to win this year’s Ballon d’Or include England captain Harry Kane and Napoli star Scott McTominay.
Real Madrid stars have won more Ballon d’Or awards than any other club, with eight players winning 12 prizes since the prize was first handed out in 1956.
Barcelona players have also won it 12 times, but only six of their stars have won it while with the Catalonian club.
Barca legend Lionel Messi has won the award more than any other player, with eight to his name.
Topics: Ballon d'Or, Real Madrid, Barcelona
Jonathan Bray