Vinicius Junior is one of the top candidates to win the next Ballon d’Or. And it comes as no surprise that the Brazilian was officially included by France Football magazine among the nominees for the highest individual award given in the world of football.
The 24-year-old striker is in the running with other big names such as Rodri, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) and Lamine Yamal.
READ MORE
++ Brazil’s dominant record against Ecuador
++ Brazil National team announces squad numbers for Ecuador qualifier
++ Drone incident interrupts Brazilian national team’s training: 3 people arrested
The Brazilian is not the only Real Madrid representative in the selection of 30 athletes. Also included were Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos, who retired from football after last season.
The sheer number of players in the team from the Spanish capital sums up what was a dream campaign last year. The team led by Carlo Ancelotti, who was also nominated as best coach of the year, won their fifteenth Champions League, won La Liga and also took home the Spanish Super Cup.
Nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or @vinijr @realmadrid @CBF_Futebol #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/YgWfFVEqjW
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 4, 2024
Vini, who scored a goal in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, was a central cog in the Whites’ team. His dribbling, movement and skill with the ball were fundamental to all the titles won.
He was unable to repeat the same situation with the Brazilian national team. In a year in which Neymar’s absence due to injury was noticeable, all eyes were on the forward who came through Flamengo to take the lead.
But the Seleção is going through a deep footballing crisis. It lost three games in a row in the South American Qualifiers, lost its historic unbeaten record at home in that tournament and was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa América.
Last year, the trophy went to Lionel Messi, who was not even nominated this time. The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the ceremony on October 28 in Paris.
