The Ballon d’Or ceremony is set to take place on October 28. Without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the list, Brazilian star Neymar made a surprising pick on who should be the winner, choosing another candidate before Kylian Mbappe, his former teammate at PSG.
Vinicius Jr was chosen as Neymar’s favorite to win the award. In an interview with Brazilian television network Band Sports, the former Barcelona player said: “Of course, I’ll be rooting for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year. For me, there’s no better candidate to win.
“He’s a guy who deserves it because he’s a fighter. He has suffered a lot throughout his life, but he has surpassed all expectations and criticism,” added the Al Hilal player, who acknowledge that “he has become an idol for all of us.”
Ney chose his fellow countryman over Kylian Mbappe, who joined PSG in 2018. During that first season, both players appeared to share a brotherly bond, but in recent years, especially after Neymar’s controversial departure from Paris, that relationship has faded away.
Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Final match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid CF at Wembley Stadium on June 01, 2024 in London, England.
Vinicius’ 2023-24 season
Despite being sidelined for the majority of the first half of the season due to a serious ACL injury, Vinicius still managed to make the difference for Real Madrid. The Brazilian won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and Spain Supercopa with Los Blancos in 2023/24.
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Between the Brazil national team and Real Madrid, Vini played 49 games last season, scoring 26 goals and providing 11 assists. The player’s influence with Los Merengues was remarkable, losing only one match all season in which the 24-year-old was involved.
Vinicius is number one candidate to take the Ballon d’Or home. If he wins it, he’ll join Brazilian legends Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, and Kaka as recipients of soccer’s most prestigious individual award.
Messi and Ronaldo out of the Ballon d’Or list after 20 years
For the first time since 2003, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo will be part of the Ballon d’Or nominee list from France Football. The Argentinian and Portuguese stars are the award’s biggest winners, with eight and five titles respectively.
Of the 15 Ballon d’Or ceremonies held between 2008 and 2023, Messi and Ronaldo claimed the top spot on 13 occasions. The only players able to interrupt their dominance were Luka Modric in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022, with the 2020 ceremony being canceled due to the pandemic.
