Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez will both be absent from the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, despite both clubs sending delegations to support their respective nominees across various award categories.
The London Palladium host the gala on Monday evening in a milestone edition celebrating the award’s 70th anniversary, coming just hours after Real Madrid’s El Clásico victory at Spotify Camp Nou.
According to Cadena SER’s program Què T’hi Jugues, Flick decided against traveling to London, while defender Pau Cubarsí opted to remain in Barcelona to rest following a heavy fixture load for both club and the Spanish national team.
Conversely, Lamine Yamal, Rodri, and Joan García are confirmed to be traveling, with Yamal taking a private jet to the British capital alongside his inner circle, separately from the rest of the Catalan delegation.
Barcelona’s women’s team boasts extensive representation including Cata Coll, Esmee Brugts, Patri Guijarro, Caroline Graham Hansen, Clàudia Pina, and Ewa Pajor, alongside Vicky López, Clara Serrajordi, and head coach Pere Romeu.
Joan Laporta will head the Barcelona delegation, accompanied by vice-presidents Rafa Yuste and Elena Fort, alongside several board members and sporting directors, on an evening where the club has contenders across both individual and team categories.
As for Real Madrid, their delegation is limited to five representatives: Kylian Mbappé, Marc Cucurella, Yan Diomande, women’s team player Felisha Schroeder, and Emilio Butragueño, Director of Institutional Relations, who will head the party.
Pérez will not take part in the trip, while Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham will also be absent despite their inclusion on the Ballon d’Or shortlist. Diomande and Schroeder accompany the delegation as nominees for their respective young talent awards.
This participation marks the return of Real Madrid’s institutional representation to the ceremony after missing the 2024 and 2025 editions. Meanwhile, attention centers on the battle between Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Harry Kane for the main award, though neither the attendance of any delegation nor the absence of key figures serves as confirmation of the winner’s identity.
