CBS pundit slams Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid for lack of 'respect' in Ballon d'Or snub

CBS Champions League pundit Guillem Balague has blasted 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' favorites to lift the coveted prize, which is awarded to the outstanding player in European soccer 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.

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The ceremony is due to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET 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 at 10:30 a.m ET.

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 pulled the plug on its plans with its players told to stay home.

Balague, a Spanish football journalist who contributes to CBS' Champions League coverage, has slammed the move. He said: "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 scored 24 goals and laid on 11 assists in 39 appearances for his club last season and scored a crucial goal in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund. The 24-year-old was the favorite with the bookmakers to receive the coveted award at Theatre de Chatelet, but it seems Rodri has been chosen by the voters

The Ballon d'Or was founded by France Football magazine in 1956 and the winner is voted by a panel of 100 journalists, each representing a nation in the top 100 of the FIFA Men's World Ranking.

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The journalists were asked to select their top five players from a 30-man shortlist, which also includes City stars Ruben Dias, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. A points system is used to determine the winner, with six points going to first-place selections.

The winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminin – awarded to the best female player in European soccer – will also be announced in Paris on Monday, with Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati among the favorites to lift the golden ball for the second year in succession, with teammate Caroline Graham Hansen also in contention.