“At least the ‘The Best’ award does justice to his season” - Barcelona legend says Vinicius deserved to win 2024 Ballon d’Or
Barcelona legend Rivaldo has expressed his belief that Vinicius Jr. deserved to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or and has been justified by his The Best award win. The Real Madrid forward was voted as the winner of FIFA's The Best Men's Player of the Year award for 2024 after a stellar campaign.
Vinicius Jr and the entire Real Madrid contingent canceled the trip to Paris for the Ballon d'Or gala when it became apparent that Rodri had edged him to the award. The decision to hand the Manchester City man the award was met with fierce criticism from around the world as many felt the Real Madrid man deserved it.
Speaking on the situation surrounding his countryman, Rivaldo pointed out that Rodri was a worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or, but that the Brazilian deserved better. He also shared that he felt that the emergence of the 24-year-old forward as The Best Men's Player of the Year proves that he had a stellar 2023-24 season.
He said (via MadridUniversal.com):
“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. 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.
"Vinicius had an extraordinary year, excelling in the Champions League and LaLiga, and deserved the Ballon d’Or. At least the ‘The Best’ award does justice to his season."
The Real Madrid star was named FIFA The Best Men's Player of the Year at a gala in Doha on Tuesday, winning his first major individual honor. He narrowly beat Manchester City midfielder Rodri to the award, winning by just five votes (48-43) at the end of the polls.
Rodri edges Vinicius Jr to second honor following Ballon d'Or win
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has beaten Vinicius Jr to yet another honor after he was named the Most Talented Player of 2024 by The Guardian. The Spaniard beat his Brazilian counterpart, who finished in second place, to the honor.
Rodri was pivotal for Manchester City as they picked up a fourth successive Premier League title in the 2023-24 season. The midfielder followed this up with a series of commanding performances as Spain won Euro 2024, where he picked up the Player of the Tournament award.
Vinicius Jr had a very good year, scoring 23 goals as Real Madrid won LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League, but he fell short as he did for the Ballon d'Or. The 24-year-old finished in second place, while Erling Haaland, Lamine Yamal, and Jude Bellingham completed the top five.