Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri was awarded the men's Ballon d'Or Monday after winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title and Euro 2024, but Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony.
The decision to award the prize for the world's best player to the deep-lying midfielder came as a surprise, with Real's LaLiga and Champions League double winner Vinicius Junior widely seen as the pre-ceremony favorite.
Hours before the festivities in Paris, the Spanish club announced its delegation would not attend the ceremony at Chatelet Theatre because of what it perceived as a snub of Vinicius.
Rodri, 28, played a key role as City held off Arsenal to win the Premier League title last season and was named player of the tournament at Euro 2024 as unfancied Spain emerged triumphant in Germany.
Despite the French organizers insisting that the identity of the winner was a closely-guarded secret this year, the news appeared to have leaked with Real announcing hours before the ceremony they would not attend.
The drama started hours before the ceremony as Spanish and European champions Real said if Vinicius was not the winner, then the award should go to his teammate Dani Carvajal.
Like the Brazilian, Carvajal scored in the 2-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley.
"If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner," Real Madrid told Agence France Presse.
"As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid do not go where they are not respected."
The Real contingent of nominees also included Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham.
The winner of the Ballon d'Or is chosen from the shortlist by an international jury of 100 specialist journalists.
Its organizers, the Amaury group which owns the L'Equipe sports daily and France Football magazine, denied to AFP that the name of the successor to last year's winner Lionel Messi had leaked and insisted that "no player or club" knew in advance who had won.
City manager Pep Guardiola has described Rodri as "in his position, the best".
"He can do everything. The quality, he reads the game, his mentality, he is always ready," Guardiola has said.
"He is so good at many things...The presence, the physicality, he is complete."
In addition to his metronomic passing and ball-winning capabilities in the center of the pitch, the former Atletico Madrid player also has a knack of popping up with crucial goals for both club and country.
His goal won City their first Champions League in 2023 but he also scored vital goals for Spain, such as his equalizer in their last-16 Euro 2024 tie against Georgia.
"We have Rodri, who is a perfect computer, he administers everything, the emotions, all the moments in a magisterial way - that's a great help for everyone," said Spain's Euros-winning coach Luis de la Fuente after his midfield general helped guide his young team-mates into the quarter-finals.
Indeed so central is Rodri to the teams he plays in that each of City's past four Premier League defeats have all come when the player dubbed "irreplaceable" by Guardiola has not featured in the side.
Rodri is unbeaten in his past 52 Premier League appearances - a run stretching back to February 2023.
City are currently top of the Premier League but their chances of a record-extending fifth-straight domestic title were dented in September when Rodri suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, ruling him out for the season.
Other awards
Lev Yashin Trophy (best goalkeeper): Emiliano Martinez
Other nominees - Diogo Costa, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gregor Kobel, Andriy Lunin, Mike Maignan, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Unai Simon, Yann Sommer, Ronwen Williams
Gerd Muller Trophy (highest goalscorer): Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe (52 each)
Raymond Kopa Trophy (best Under-21 player): Lamine Yamal
Other nominees - Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Garnacho, Arda Guler, Karim Konate, Kobbie Mainoo, Joao Neves, Savinho, Mathys Tel, Warren Zaire-Emery
Socrates Award: Jennifer Hermoso
Johan Cruyff Trophy (men's coach of the year): Carlo Ancelotti
Other nominees - Xabi Alonso, Luis de la Fuente, Gian Piero Gasperini, Pep Guardiola, Lionel Scaloni
Johan Cruyff Trophy (women's coach of the year): Emma Hayes
Other nominees - Sonia Bompastor, Arthur Elias, Jonatan Giraldez, Filipa Patao, Sarina Wiegman
Men's club of the year: Real Madrid
Other nominees - Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Girona, Man City
Women's club of the year: Barcelona
Other nominees - Chelsea, PSG, Lyon, NY/NJ Gotham
Men's award: full ranking
1 Rodri (Man City/Spain), 2 Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid/Brazil), 3 Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England), 4 Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid/Spain), 5 Erling Haaland (Man City/Norway), 6 Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France), 7 Lautaro Martinez (Inter, Argentina), 8 Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain), 9 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany), 10 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England), 11 Phil Foden (Man City/England), 12 Florian Wirtz (Leverkusen/Germany), 13 Dani Olmo (Barcelona/Spain), 14 Ademola Lookman (Atalanta/Nigeria), 15 Nico Williams (Athletic/Spain), 16 Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen/Switzerland), 17 Federico Valverde (Real Madrid/Uruguay), 18 Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa/Argentina), 19 Martin Odegaard (Arsenal/Norway), 20 Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter/Turkey), 21 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal/England), 22 Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid/Germany), 23 Ruben Dias (Man City/Portugal), 24 William Saliba (Arsenal/France), 25 Cole Palmer (Chelsea/England), 26 Declan Rice (Arsenal/England), 27 Vitinha (PSG/Portugal), 28 Alejandro Grimaldo (Leverkusen/Spain), =29 Mats Hummels (Roma/Germany), =29 Artem Dovbyk (Roma/Ukraine)
