What Arsenal players were doing instead of attending the Ballon d’Or ceremony despite nominations

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Arsenal players were out of the spotlight at the Ballon d’Or despite receiving four nominations.

Only Real Madrid had more nominees for the prize than the Gunners however, representatives from neither club won the award.

It was Manchester City midfielder Rodri who took home the iconic trophy, becoming only the third Premier League player to do so.

Arsenal players clashed about Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or, with there a vast argument over why Vinicius Junior did not win.

• READ MORE: Arsenal star Bukayo Saka makes ‘huge’ admission after seeing his name nominated for Ballon d’Or

Arsenal players skip Ballon d’Or ceremony

Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Martin Odegaard were nominated for the award, with the captain finishing above his teammates in 19th.

Saka claimed 21st place, Saliba 24th and Rice 26th in what was still a night to celebrate for the four players who made the top 30.

Despite being nominated, some Arsenal stars chose not to attend the ceremony, with Odegaard favouring a fundraising event.

The midfielder was joined by fellow teammates David Raya, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber at The Global Gift Gala London, supporting children and women’s empowerment through philanthropy and celebrity participation.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was also present at the event, with attention at the club diverting from the Ballon d’Or to the fundraiser.

Has an Arsenal player ever won the Ballon d’Or?

Four players made the top 30 this year, however, did not come close to winning the prize that Rodri took home.

The midfielder became the first Premier League player to win the Ballon d’Or since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, with the English top flight not having a lot of luck in the ceremony’s history.

• READ MORE: Thierry Henry and Micah Richards both snub Arsenal stars for major award in favour of Man City player

A similar narrative applies to Arsenal as despite all the talent in North London over the years, no Gunner has ever won the award.

In fact, there have only been two occasions in which an Arsenal representative has finished in the top three of the ceremony, both unsurprisingly being Thierry Henry.

Henry earned Arsenal’s highest-ever Ballon d’Or finish in 2003, finishing second, and then finished third in 2006.

The stakes are incredibly high in the competition, as the likes of Henry know, with there hope that one player can break Arsenal’s dreary cycle of luck in the near future.