Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? When Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. made his pick
Vinicius Junior once picked Lionel Messi ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. The Brazilian forward is the frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or this year.
The Portuguese and the Argentine legends have divided opinion not just among fans, but also footballers during their unmatched reign over the last two decades. Messi is now in the final phase of his career but is still making waves with Inter Miami in the MLS.
Ronaldo is also at the end of his career but remains decisive for Al-Nassr. The 39-year-old opened up the doors of the Middle East to the world since joining the Saudi club in December 2022.
Vinicius, meanwhile, is already an established figure in world football. The 24-year-old was outstanding for Real Madrid last season with 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games and is considered one of the best players in the world right now.
Before his move to Los Blancos in 2018, Vinicius was earning rave reviews with Brazilian side Flamengo. He was one of the rising stars in the world and was also linked with Barcelona.
Speaking on Flamengo's social media in 2017, a teenage Vinicius gave a straightforward answer when asked to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Messi or Cristiano? … Messi, Messi,” Vinicius said (as cited by Bolavip).
The player's opinion may have changed over the years, though. In January 2023, Vinicius shared a picture with the Portuguese superstar on social media, accompanied by a goat emoji. It signified that he had perhaps switched allegiance since joining Real Madrid.
Can Vinicius Junior break Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or record?
Vinicius Junior could become only the third player not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or since 2008. In the past 16 years, only Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have managed to break the superstar duo's stranglehold on the coveted award.
The Brazilian has a fantastic chance to achieve the feat this year, although he will face competition from Manchester City's Rodri and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez in the race. However, it is hard to imagine anyone dominating Ballon d'Or like Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.
The Portuguese icon has won the award five times and finished among the top three on seven other occasions. The Al-Nassr man also won the award with a record 946 points in 2017.
However, there's no doubt that Lionel Messi is the undisputed king of Ballon d'Or. The diminutive Argentine has won the award a record eight times and is also the current champion.