With no real competition, Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr has a good chance of becoming the new Golden Ball winner on Monday. The prestigious award ceremony could also see Spain’s Aitana Bonmati named the world’s best player.
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“Vini”, 24, can become the first Brazilian to win football’s most prestigious individual award since Kaka, 17 years ago, after his 2023/2024 season at Real Madrid and the Championship-Champions League double. The 24-year-old striker took on a new dimension last season with Real, being one of the architects of the double: in the Champions League, he scored two important goals against Bayern Munich and another in the final against Borussia Dortmund, while being named best player in the competition.
On the selection side, he made less of an impression, knowing that Brazil was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa America. But this poor performance should not prevent him from winning the Ballon d’Or. He would succeed Léo Messi, winner last year of the title of best player in the world. This is also the first time since 2003 that neither Messi nor Ronaldo are among the list of nominees, nor any other former winner of the trophy, which rewards the best player over the period extending from August 1 2023 to July 31, 2024. The two stars, now aging and playing respectively in the United States and Saudi Arabia, are giving way to young people.
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Rodri only credible competitor
Vinicius Junior, author of a hat-trick this week in the Champions League, but more discreet during the Clasico on Saturday evening (4-0 defeat), is the big favorite, ahead of the Spaniard and Manchester City midfielder Rodri (28 years old) and his English teammate Jude Bellingham, who became one of Real’s captains. Rodri, the centerpiece of the Citizens’ success in the Premier League and La Roja at the Euro, is the Brazilian’s only real competitor. But with one downside: the elimination of Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Big Ears Cup.
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Jude Bellingham, who lost in the Euro final against Spain, was also decisive last season but in less important matches than Vinicius. The latter, 21 years old, won last year’s award for best youngster, the Kopa Trophy, which will also be presented Monday evening at the Châtelet theater and should be awarded to the Spanish nugget of FC Barcelona Lamine Yamal, 17 years old.
As for Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland, they are not among the ultimate favorites this year. Mbappé, 25, the only French representative and semi-finalist of the Champions League with PSG, has the best statistics of the nominees (52 goals in 59 matches), but his poor performance with the French team at the Euro plays a role against him. Like the Frenchman, City center forward Erling Haaland was not decisive in important matches last season.
Bonmati and Putellas favorites among women
For its sixth edition, the Women’s Golden Ball should be awarded like last year to the Spaniard Aitana Bonmati, main favorite. The podium could be entirely in the colors of FC Barcelona: her teammates Alexia Putellas, winner in 2021 and 2022, and Salma Paralluelo are the two other players who can claim the trophy. This will be the fourth time in a row that Barça has been distinguished, which illustrates the Catalan club’s stranglehold on world women’s football.
The defending champion and midfielder makes an impression with her vision of the game, her projection and her efficiency in front of goal. “ She’s a bit like the female version of Iniesta », Said coach Pep Guardiola about him in 2023.