JJ Gabriel
Already in his young career, JJ Gabriel has drawn a remarkable amount of attention. Long touted as the next big talent coming through at Manchester United, the 16-year-old has controversially opted to leave the Red Devils for Real Madrid.
Headlines were made when the teenager made a shock call and informed Man United chiefs that he wanted to have his registration terminated. It quickly became apparent that his plan was to leave Old Trafford for Spain.
With Madrid and Barcelona in the mix, he opted for the former. GIVEMESPORT reported this week that the teenager was on the verge of his move to the Spanish capital, and Gabriel has now confirmed this.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick smiling
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick smiling
JJ Gabriel Opens Up on Real Madrid Move
JJ Gabriel
Speaking to the press for the first time since opting to leave Man Utd for Los Blancos, JJ Gabriel made a rather telling comment. As quoted by Marca, the 16-year-old was presented with a front page of the newspaper featuring himself, to which he responded "Can I keep it?"
The forward was also asked why he preferred Real Madrid to Barcelona, with the teenager making his choice clear by replying: "Obviously, Madrid."
Most notably, however, he made the rather bold claim that he joined Los Blancos to boost his Ballon d'Or hopes, stating:
"My dream is to win a Ballon d'Or."
Offering some more insight into JJ Gabriel's decision, Ben Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: "JJ Gabriel visited the club for the first time quite a while ago now, and the pathway was essentially outlined as Real believe in him as one of the elite talents in world football in his age bracket, and Castilla will allow JJ Gabriel a fair amount of competitive action.
"Barcelona have been credited with an interest, but Barcelona sporting director Deco told me several weeks ago at the Portugal Football Summit that they were not currently working on a deal."
Fans Unimpressed With JJ Gabriel's Ballon d'Or Comment
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
It's probably true that JJ Gabriel's Ballon d'Or hopes have been boosted by joining Real Madrid, though he has some way to go before he features among the realistic contenders.
With Man Utd down the wrong end of the Premier League table right now amid years of underperformance, it's hard to imagine anyone in their squad winning that prize any time soon. What's more, Cristiano Ronaldo was the last Old Trafford ace to claim the award, doing so in 2008. Since then, the Portuguese legend, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have all delivered the prize to the Bernabeu.
Even so, JJ Gabriel's comments have rubbed some fans the wrong way. Many felt as though it was indicative of a poor attitude that he would focus more on the individual prize when joining his new team, as opposed to a collective trophy such as the Champions League or La Liga.
Making that point online, one fan wrote:
"These players nowadays man. It doesn’t feel like football anymore. His priority dream should be to win trophies as a team, he’s in a team sport. Ballon d’Or is secondary. Go & do boxing or play tennis lad. Things have changed for the worse over the past 15 years in football."
Another added: "Tells you a lot about the sort of kid he is! I remember when football was a team game! Dreams used to be scoring goals and winning trophies, playing in magnificent venues, not getting votes for a popularity contest!"
A third unimpressed fan noted: "This lad is something else. What an ego." And someone else wrote: "Not with that attitude and management."
Summing up the mood, one more supporter commented: "His dream is an individual award. I don’t think that surprises anyone."
A Horizontal Bar Chart Depicting 2026 Ballon d'Or Final Points Ranking Including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine
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