Real Madrid Ends Ballon d'Or Boycott, Returns to the Gala with Mbappe as Top Contender

Two years of silence are about to end. Real Madrid returns this Monday to the Ballon d'Or Gala, held in London, with Kylian Mbappe as the star name of the delegation. For anyone following Madrid closely, the club's reappearance at this event is no small detail: it had stayed away from the award's red carpet since 2023.

Why the long absence? The answer has a name: Rodri. In 2024, the Spanish midfielder won the Ballon d'Or ahead of Vinicius Junior, and that didn't sit well at Valdebebas. It stung so much that, under Florentino Perez, the club decided to cut ties completely: no gala, no coverage, nothing tied to the award. That boycott held for two full editions, with one quiet exception: forward Caroline Weir, who attended in 2025 as a nominee for the women's award.

Now that boycott is over. According to several sources who spoke to ESPN, Real Madrid will have a significant presence tonight in London, led by Mbappe, who is nominated for the top men's award. The Frenchman isn't traveling alone: he's joined by Emilio Butragueno, the club's director of institutional relations, along with players Marc Cucurella, Yan Diomande and Felicia Schroder. Cucurella is also in the Ballon d'Or conversation, while Diomande is up for the Kopa Trophy and Schroder for the Women's Young Talent award.

A source close to Madrid told ESPN that the delegation was set to depart for the British capital at 1:00 p.m. Spanish time, and that there is real optimism within the club about Mbappe's chances of taking home the trophy. It won't be an easy path: the French forward is competing directly with Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal for the most coveted individual prize in world soccer.

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Beyond who ultimately lifts the trophy, there's something notable on its own: the simple fact that Real Madrid is back in attendance. After two years of avoiding any gesture that could be read as endorsing a gala they viewed as unfair to Vinicius, the presence of Mbappe, Butragueno and the rest of the delegation marks a clear shift in stance. The club is closing a chapter of public distance from one of soccer's most important awards, on the very night its current biggest star has a real shot at winning it.