Vinicius Jr. being snubbed of the Ballon d’Or created a rift between Real Madrid and France Football, one that was not bridged even a year later for the next Ballon d’Or event that was held last night.
The men in white did not have any party attend the ceremony – one in which Ousmane Dembele was named the Ballon d’Or winner and Lamine Yamal the Kopa Trophy winner for the second year in a row.
Needless to say, however, the man of the moment was PSG’s Dembele who was understandably emotional for winning the award after all he has been through over the years.
Taking to his Instagram to congratulate his compatriot after the win, Real Madrid’s star forward Kylian Mbappe wrote about how Dembele deserved the award for the season he has enjoyed.
"It’s the emotions, my brother. You deserve it 1000x."
Also taking to his social media was Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid’s mainstay defensive midfielder who penned a short note that screamed that Dembele deserved the recognition.
"God is great," he wrote with emoticons of love and respect.
With the Ballon d’Or turning a new leaf and Dembele now holding the trophy for this year, it will be Real Madrid’s goal to ensure that the next player to hoist the individual accolade is a member of their dressing room.
Kylian Mbappe, needless to say, would be the frontrunner for the award if Los Blancos enjoy a successful season and they have off to the right start to life under Xabi Alonso. Everything now will boil down to their consistency and ability to turn up on the big nights.