Real Madrid Celebrates Four Stars in 2026 Ballon d'Or Shortlist
For a year, Real Madrid treated the Ballon d’Or as if it had vanished from the football map. No posts, no congratulations, no carefully edited videos from the gala. Just silence.
That silence is over.
With France Football announcing the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, Real Madrid stepped back into the spotlight, publicly celebrating four of their own: Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham and Marc Cucurella.
The club pushed the news across their social media channels and official website, a clear signal that the cold war with the award is, at least for now, on pause.
From boycott to begrudging return
This is not a story of a club ignored by the Ballon d’Or. It is a story of a club that turned its back on it.
The rupture dates back to 2024. That year, Rodri lifted the Ballon d’Or, edging out Vinicius Jr., who had been the driving force in Real Madrid’s La Liga and Champions League double in the 2023/24 campaign.
Inside Valdebebas, the reaction was visceral.
Real Madrid’s hierarchy considered the outcome a serious injustice. The feeling hardened quickly: if Vinicius, after that season, could not win it, what was the point of the award?
The club’s response was drastic. Once they learned the Brazilian would not be crowned, the Real Madrid delegation chose not to attend the ceremony at all. Cameras, suits, red carpet – all cancelled. They didn’t just stay home; they made sure the world knew why.
On 28 October 2024, RMTV broadcast the club’s position in a stark, unforgettable line: “Right now, the Ballon d’Or no longer exists.”
It was more than a soundbite. Real Madrid scrapped almost five hours of special Ballon d’Or programming that had been prepared for their in-house channel. For a club that lives off global image and narrative, that was a heavy statement.
The boycott extended beyond that night. When the 30 nominees were announced for the following edition, Real Madrid did not post a single word about the shortlisted players or the final outcome. No congratulations when PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé eventually took the prize. Nothing.
For a club that had built eras around Ballon d’Or winners, it was a remarkable break with tradition.
A new list, a new tone
Fast forward to the 2026 nominations, and the tone has shifted.
This time, Real Madrid did not wait or hesitate. As soon as the shortlist dropped, the club highlighted their four candidates, underlining their performances in the 2025/26 season.
“Mbappe, Vini Jr., Bellingham and Cucurella are among the 30 candidates for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, awarded by France Football. The nominees have been selected for their performances during the 2025/26 season,” read the club’s official communication.
The message was simple, almost clinical. But its meaning was loud: the boycott is over.
Madrid are engaging again with the ceremony they once dismissed as non-existent. They are back in the conversation, back in the theatre of individual glory that has so often mirrored their dominance on the pitch.
The wounds from 2024 have not been rewritten. They have, however, been parked. With four names in the running and a squad built to dominate Europe, Real Madrid have made a clear choice: if the Ballon d’Or stage is there, they intend to own it again.
