Vinicius was tipped to be at least in the top five for this year's Ballon d'Or, with Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Rodri, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland also mentioned as favourites.
Neymar has named the favorite for the Golden Ball
Recently, the Ballon d'Or has been awarded not for achievements in a calendar year, but for a given football season. Last season, Real Madrid won the double, winning the Spanish league and the Champions League, and added the Spanish Super Cup in January. The “Real” are nominated for the award for best men's club, while Carlo Ancelotti is up for the award for best coach.
At the beginning of September, the list of nominees for the award for the best player was also announced. There are a total of seven Real players on it, counting Kylian Mbappe, who arrived in the summer, and Toni Kroos, who ended his career. In addition to them, there are Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Fede Valverde and Vinicius. According to Spanish media, the Brazilian is expected to be the winner of the plebiscite.
According to Neymar, the “Los Blancos” winger fully deserved the award. Neymar himself was mentioned as a future winner of the ZP, who would break the duopoly of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, that did not happen. This year, he is behind his compatriot.
– Of course I will support him and root for him. There is no better candidate to win this award this year. He is a boy who simply deserves it, he is a fighter. He has suffered a lot in his life, but he has exceeded all expectations and endured criticism. He has become an idol for all of us – he said in an interview with Brazilian television BandSports.
Kylian Mbappe is expected to be in the lead. According to Neymar, the Frenchman did not deserve the award. The leader of the “Tricolours” team was eliminated last season by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, at the same stage he was eliminated from the Euro.
“This season Vinicius is better than Mbappe. He is a player who really poses a threat. If Vinicius has the ball, you feel there is danger. I would prefer Vinicius to win the Ballon d'Or. This season he is much better,” he admitted.
The 2024 Ballon d'Or Gala will take place on October 28 at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris. Robert Lewandowski is not on the list of nominees.