The Spanish newspaper 'Marca' reported that Real Madrid has decided not to attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony scheduled for tonight, continuing a series of controversial absences from individual award ceremonies throughout history.

The newspaper clarified that coach Hans Flick emphasized after the Barcelona match against Getafe the importance of attending such events to appreciate the teammates who are nominated, yet the reality reflects a recurring pattern of notable absences at such gatherings.

'Marca' pointed out that one of the most significant absences was at The Best ceremony in 2016, when Barcelona decided not to send its players to Zurich despite several names being included in the ideal world lineup, alongside Lionel Messi, who was nominated for the award. Additionally, Cristiano Ronaldo's absence from the ceremony in 2012 was a decision made by José Mourinho, resulting in Messi's victory.

The report also noted that Luka Modric won the award in 2018 with the support of Real Madrid, but he did not have the presence of his competitors, most notably Ronaldo, who had transferred to Juventus at that time.

The newspaper confirmed that the importance of award ceremonies has increased in recent years, especially after Real Madrid's notable withdrawal from the last ceremony.