Report: Italy boycotted Ballon d'Or vote out of protest for Buffon snub

Italy manager Antonio Conte and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon refrained from casting their vote for the 2015 Ballon d'Or after the Juventus man was left off the 59-man long list for the award in October, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports.

FIFA's football committee, which includes executives, coaches, and former players, neglected to select Buffon, despite the 37-year-old Italian winning the domestic double with the Bianconeri last year.

Several pundits and ex-teammates slammed the omission, with former AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini condemning the Ballon d'Or as a popularity contest.

Conte and Buffon, like all coaches and captains of national teams, were entitled to cast their ballot for the award. But La Repubblica believes they, in conjunction with Italy's football federation (FIGC), made the decision to withdraw their votes out of protest.

Neither of their names appear on the FIFA's official document - a notable absence from the 499 managers, players, and journalists who did take part.

It was always unlikely Buffon would make the shortlist, which consisted of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar. Messi ended up winning a record fifth Ballon d'Or on Monday, but that is little consolation for Italy, a country that has endured a rough relationship with FIFA ever since Sepp Blatter declined to present the World Cup to the Azzurri in 2006.

Buffon backstopped Juventus to a fourth consecutive Italian championship in 2015, as well as the club's 10th Coppa Italia title. He also made several key saves as his team advanced to the Champions League final, falling short against Barcelona in Berlin.

"Gigi deserves to be on the list for what he has achieved and how he has achieved it," said Maldini. "At nearly 38 years old, he is still one of the three best goalkeepers in the world."