Florentino Pérez will not travel to Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony in London, club sends other representatives

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez will not attend the Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony in London tonight, according to a report from The Athletic, although the club will be represented at the event by other officials and nominees.

Real withdrew its full boycott of the awards this year after previously skipping the last two presentations following Vinícius Júnior’s loss in 2024; Vinícius finished on 1,129 points in that voting, behind champion Rodri who received 1,170 votes, with Rodri’s tally linked in the article to his involvement in Manchester City’s Premier League title and Spain’s European Championship success.

Real Madrid will send Emilio Butragueño — identified in the piece as the club’s head of institutional relations and ambassador — and Ballon d’Or nominee Marc Cucurella to the ceremony; Yan Diomande and Felicia Schroder, both named as Kopa Trophy nominees for best young male and female players respectively, are also reported to be attending.

Despite the club relaxing its boycott, The Athletic says Pérez is not travelling with Real’s delegation to London. The report included the following tweet: "⚡️Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is not on the list of those travelling to London for the Ballon d’Or➕The feeling in the dressing room is that Mbappe will be the winner, as reported weeks ago; the idea is the same after El Clasico@TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/3RtA9Kt6Ka"; the article also notes that other big names such as Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham have chosen not to travel.

Kylian Mbappé is identified in the story as one of the leading contenders and is scheduled to be present with teammates; Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal are mentioned as fellow favourites, and the piece states Mbappé hopes to lift his first-ever Ballon d’Or at the ceremony.

The Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony takes place in London tonight, with Real Madrid represented by Butragueño, Marc Cucurella and the club’s Kopa nominees while Florentino Pérez remains absent, according to The Athletic.