Vinicius Jr. addressed the controversy surrounding Real Madrid's absence from the Ballon d'Or ceremony, a topic that sparked uproar before the event started. The controversy began when it was leaked that the Brazilian forward would not be the winner, prompting the announcement that no Real Madrid member would attend the event.

At that moment, speculation arose that it was Vinicius himself who had influenced the decision for the club to not send its delegation to Paris, where the ceremony took place. However, in the press conference before the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 match, the player clarified that it was Real Madrid who made the decision not to attend.

Vinicius Jr.'s Explanation

"The club decided not to go to the Ballon d'Or gala," Vinicius explained. "I always do what the club asks me. They asked me to stay in Madrid, and that's what I did."

Regarding the voting result, which ultimately crowned Rodri Hernández, the Spanish midfielder of Manchester City, as the winner, Vinicius expressed respect for the decision: “People vote for what they believe. I have my opinion, and my teammates have theirs. Of course, when you're close to winning the Ballon d'Or, you want to win it, but I will have many more opportunities to do so in the future.”

Ancelotti Waiting on Fede Valverde

The main uncertainty in Real Madrid’s starting lineup for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Atlético Madrid revolves around Fede Valverde. Carlo Ancelotti will clarify his situation after Monday’s afternoon training, having stated that the Uruguayan has “good sensations” and confirmed the starting roles of Raúl Asencio and Eduardo Camavinga.

"He trained individually yesterday and had good sensations. He will train with the team today, and after training, we will make the decision on whether he can play or not," Ancelotti commented, responding to questions about Valverde’s physical condition.

The Uruguayan midfielder has missed the last three Real Madrid matches due to physical issues, and the Italian coach is waiting for his recovery progress. If Valverde is unavailable for the match, and Ancelotti needs to choose a right-back, he made it clear that Lucas Vázquez would be the option over Raúl Asencio.

After being substituted at halftime in the Copa del Rey match against Real Sociedad and not playing in the La Liga game against Betis, Ancelotti confirmed that Asencio will start as a central defender against Atlético Madrid.

"We must consider the players who have rested and could have more opportunities tomorrow, like Raúl and Camavinga. We won’t change the midfield by removing a forward. We will keep the same tactical approach," the coach added, making it clear there will be no tactical changes for the upcoming Champions League match.