Is Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr a future Ballon d'Or winner?
Stefan Bienkowski
- 30 Nov 2021 16:45 GMT
- 7 min read
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has suggested that his star forward, Vinicius Jr, could one day become a Ballon d’Or winner.
The Brazilian star has been in fine form for the Spanish giants this season and Ancelotti believes he’s showing all the signs of becoming one of the best players in Europe.
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“Of course, Vinicius has the talent to be in the gala one day,” said Ancelotti in a press conference on Tuesday. “Also Courtois, but we already know that it’s more complicated for a goalkeeper.”
So was the Italian coach simply being nice about one of his players or was he cunningly fortelling something the rest of football should be taking notice of before too long?
How well is Vinicius Jr doing this season?
Ancelotti’s comments undoubtedly come from the fact that Vinicius has been one of Madrid’s top performers this season.
So far, the 21-year-old has bagged no less than 11 goals and seven assists in 19 games across all competitions for Los Blancos.
Not only is that impressive in its own right, but it’s already far better than what Vinicius managed over the course of the entirety of last season. Which goes some way to show just how much he’s improved for Madrid this time around.
Could he win it in the future?
To win a Ballon d’Or, a player not only has to succeed at domestic level, but he must also be in contention in European competition and/or with his nation at international level.
Fortunately for Vinicius, he is likely to slot into each of those categories over the course of his career.
Should he stay put at Madrid, the forward is likely to continue challenging for La Liga and Champions League trophies, while his nationality means he’ll always have a shot of winning international competitions with Brazil.
As if that wasn’t more than enough to favour the Madrid star, he’s also a forward player. And we all know how much the individual award tends to favour them.
