Former Barcelona and Brazil superstar Rivaldo has claimed that Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. deserved to win the Ballon d’Or this year for everything he achieved in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League last season.
The Brazilian attacker was the overwhelming favourite to win the Golden Orb, but found himself finishing second behind Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.
While Rivaldo acknowledged the UEFA Euro 2024 champion as a worthy winner, he felt that Vinicius was not given due credit for his ‘perfect’ year.
“He deserved to win the Ballon d’Or for his perfect 2024. We must respect the winner, in this case Rodri, who earned it on his own merits,” admitted Rivaldo.
“But as I said, what disappointed me was learning that more than sixty coaches did not include Vini among the top three players, which is incredibly disappointing,” he continued.
Vinicius missed out on the Ballon d’Or. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
“Vinicius had an extraordinary year, excelling in the Champions League and LaLiga, and deserved the Ballon d’Or.”
As such, Rivaldo claimed that Vinicius’ triumph in The Best FIFA Awards did justice to his brilliant year.
“At least the ‘The Best’ award does justice to his season,” he said.
Rivaldo backs Mbappe to succeed
Meanwhile, Rivaldo also touched upon Kylian Mbappe’s slow start to life at Real Madrid, but stated that the French international has what is needed to succeed at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Mbappe is having a tough start, but I always said he would be a successful player at Madrid, a scorer, and a standout figure,” said Rivaldo.
“He has the talent to be the next best player in the world, and he is at the best club in the world in terms of titles and history. Adaptation takes some time, but I am sure he will be a key player and a strong candidate for the Ballon d’Or in the future,” he concluded.
Source: SPORT