PNN
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 31: At 11, Riaan Ghodawat has already stepped into a world most young footballers can only dream of entering. On 26 October 2026, he attended the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, believed to be the first Indian to do so, and came face to face with the people and achievements that define the game he hopes to one day play at the highest level.
A member of the Real Madrid Academy India, Riaan has already gained international exposure through football. He has attended training camps organised by Paris Saint-Germain and West Ham United in London, competed at the Real Madrid World Championship in Madrid and the Singa Cup in Singapore, and travelled to Barcelona to watch El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. His progress has drawn interest from clubs in the UK, and he has received offers to join them.
The Ballon d’Or offered Riaan a different perspective on the sport. Away from the training ground and the match-day routine, he experienced an evening that brought together football’s leading names and celebrated its finest achievements.
“When I found out I was going to the Ballon d’Or, I could not stop smiling,” said Riaan. “I have watched these players on screen and followed their journeys. Being in the same room as them was something I had never imagined. It made me want to work even harder at my football.”
His ambitions, however, remain firmly on the pitch. Riaan hopes to play for FC Barcelona or Real Madrid, and the Ballon d’Or has become part of that picture: no longer a distant spectacle, but an occasion he wants to return to in a different role. “I want to play for FC Barcelona or Real Madrid and return to the Ballon d’Or as a player,” he said. “For now, I know I have a lot to learn, and I want to keep training and getting better.”
For Riaan, the evening in London was a memorable moment in a football journey that is still at its beginning. The focus now returns to the pitch, where the work towards his ambitions continues.
About Riaan Ghodawat
Riaan Ghodawat is an eleven-year-old footballer from India and a member of the Real Madrid Academy India. His football journey has included training camps with Paris Saint-Germain and West Ham United, international tournaments in Madrid and Singapore, and attendance at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.
Media contact:
Krishika Rathod
krishika@bluebuzz.in
9137810930
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Riaan Ghodawat, 11, Attends the 2026 Ballon d’Or in London
