"At this point the Ballon d'Or is his", "Showing Mbappe levels" - Fans hail Real Madrid star as he shines in comeback win over Dortmund
Real Madrid fans on social media lavished praise on Vinicius Jr. after his stellar display during Real Madrid's 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on October 22. With the win at the Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos have risen to ninth in the Champions League table with two wins and a loss in three games.
Real Madrid suffered two early blows as Donyell Malen (30') and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (34') gave the visitors a 2-0 lead heading into half-time.
The Real Madrid onslaught started at the hour mark with Antonio Rudiger converting a header off Kylian Mbappe's cross in the 60th minute. Two minutes later, Vinicius Jr. (62') equalized for Los Blancos.
The comeback was completed by Lucas Vazquez when he fired a shot from the right, beating the outstretched palms of Gregor Kobel in the 83rd minute. Post that, it was the Vinicius Jr. show as the Brazilian scored two more goals (86' and 90'+3') to seal the comeback.
Vinicius Jr.'s second goal of the night came after a marauding run that started deep inside his own half. The Brazilian covered almost the entire length of the pitch and produced an immaculate finish. He got his hat-trick deep into extra time, twisting and turning and finally unleashing a left-footed bullet from inside the penalty area.
Fans raved about the Brazilian superstar on X, giving him Ballon d'Or shouts. Here are some popular reactions:
"At this point, the Ballon d'Or is his," wrote a fan on X.
One user claimed that Vinicius Jr. is better than superstars Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, tweeting:
"Vinicius showing Mbappe levels. He is easily the best player in the world ahead of Mbappe and Haaland."
"Rodri was fantastic, but there are simply levels. Vinicius Jr is the very clear deserved Ballon d'Or winner," claimed another.
"THE 2024 BALLON D'OR WINNER! CLEAR OF EVERYONE ELSE! " declared one fan on X.
"Silenced the Haters oh my god," wrote another.
Vinicius Jr. now has eight goals and seven assists in 14 games for Real Madrid across competitions this season.
Cafu backs Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or
Legendary Brazilian right-back Cafu has backed his compatriot Vinicius Jr. to claim the 2024 Ballon d'Or. Vinicius Jr. was one of the most important players for Real Madrid last season, scoring 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across competitions. He helped Los Blancos win LaLiga, the UEFA Champions League, and the Supercopa de Espana.
Vinicius was especially brilliant at the business end of the Champions League. The Brazilian winger dropped match-winning performances in both legs of the semi-final against Bayern Munich, helping his team win 4-3 on aggregate. He also scored in the 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Speaking to Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Italy, Cafu tipped Vinicius to win the coveted award.
"Yes, he deserves to win it, he's had a great season. The numbers he had last season were incredible. He deserves it for what he's done and what he will do in the future," Cafu said.
France Football will announce the winner of the Ballon d'Or on October 28 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.