Several players angered by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez's decision to miss the Ballon d'Or gala

The decision of Real Madrid to miss the Ballon d'Or Ceremony entirely when he discovered that Vinicius Junior would not be the winner of the award was harshly criticized, not least by the Hollywood actor Viggo Mortensen. It wasn't a call that everyone at the club agreed with either.

While the directors and players all accept the decision, which was made only by the president Florentino Perez say Reliefthere were some who would have preferred to attend. Some players already had advertising business in place for the gala in Paris, while others fear it could be their only opportunity to attend the award.

Perez thought that if Vinicius was not going to win, then it must be Dani Carvajal, and he decided to back Vinicius with his peculiar form of protest. The other members of the hierarchy went out of decorum, and to present an elegant image in defeat.

While the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe will likely be back next year, it would have been Arda Guler's first time back after finishing second in the Kopa trophy. Andriy Lunin also came third in the Lev Yashin award, and may not return. While I no doubt understand the thinking behind Perez's call, it's hard not to seem selfish when they're the ones losing.