JJ Gabriel reveals Ballon d'Or dream as Real Madrid move edges closer after Man Utd AWOL

JJ Gabriel has broken his silence on his acrimonious departure from Manchester United, telling Spanish newspaper Marca in Madrid that his ambition is to win the Ballon d’Or — the eight-word explanation behind a move that has divided opinion since the 16-year-old went AWOL from United in September.

Gabriel, who joined United in 2022, has cut all ties with the club in an attempt to force through a transfer to Real Madrid. Speaking alongside his father after a session with his personal trainer in Madrid, the teenager joked about choosing Real over rivals Barcelona before delivering his succinct reasoning: “My dream is to win the Ballon d’Or.”

The move has been far from straightforward. Gabriel attracted interest from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain before settling on Real as his destination, enlisting super agent Ali Barat to help navigate the process. United are now considering legal action against Real in order to secure compensation beyond the FIFA-mandated fee of between £100,000 and £300,000 typically applied in cases involving players of his age. Real have yet to formally contact United, though reports suggest they have offered Gabriel a three-year contract worth more than £850,000 per season.

Even once an agreement is reached, further complications remain. Because Gabriel is still registered with United, he will not be eligible to play in the Youth League this season and would instead join Real’s reserve side, Castilla. Players under 18 are ordinarily restricted from such moves, but Gabriel — born in England with Irish and Cypriot heritage — holds a European Union passport, which removes that particular barrier.

According to Marca, the move may not be officially announced until January, when Real can register him in the transfer window, meaning the saga is likely to extend into 2027.

United legend Ryan Giggs has already weighed in with a warning for the teenager. “So far in his career everything is going fine, why would you disrupt that? You’re on the right track,” Giggs said. “I trained at 15. I didn’t play for the first team until two years later, so you have to have that patience that people just don’t seem to have at the moment. And believe it or not, first-team football for Man United is completely different to playing in the youth team.”