Carlo Ancelotti believes Real Madrid superstar will win the Ballon d'Or this year
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti reckons Vinicius Junior will win the 2024 Ballon d'Or. The Brazilian winger remains the favorite to win the prestigious award after having a brilliant 2023-24 campaign for Los Blancos.
The Ballon d'Or is an annual award that is awarded to the player who is deemed to have performed the best during the previous season. Lionel Messi is the current holder, having edged Erling Haaland last year to win his eighth trophy - the most in football history.
Vinicius has a good chance of winning the Ballon d'Or this year but the likes of Jude Bellingham, Rodri, and Dani Carvajal also have a shot, with the latter two having helped Spain win Euro 2024.
However, Ancelotti believes Vinicius will win this year's Ballon d'Or. He appeared on The Obi One Podcast, where he said (via @MadridXtra):
“Ballon d’Or? In my opinion, I think Vinicius will win it.”
The Italian tactician also gave his take on the Ballon d'Or race, explaining why Vinicius deserves to win:
"It’s true that Carvajal did really well, because he won the league, The Champions League and scored, and won the EURO. But Vinicius, talented player, young, good image, won the league, won the Champions League scoring in the final and semi final. He scored 2 in Munich."
Ancelotti added:
"And Jude had a fantastic season. Winning the Champions League, winning the league, and it was a big surprise. The best player of the league season. Rodri also is a fantastic midfielder, one of the best midfielders in the competition, and consistent."
Vinicius scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions last season, helping Real Madrid win LaLiga, the UEFA Champions League, and the Supercopa de Espana.
"He had difficulties to compete" - Carlo Ancelotti explains why Eden Hazard failed to make it at Real Madrid
From the aforementioned source, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti also dived into why Eden Hazard struggled to find success at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Italian reckons Hazard struggled to deal with the competition at the club and failed to compete with his peers.
Ancelotti stated:
“Eden Hazard is a fantastic guy, his problem was injuries of course, but he also had difficulty to be in competition. You have to train with intensity in training when you are not playing. He had difficulties to compete, to fight, and to play.”
Hazard left Chelsea to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 for a reported transfer fee of €100 million. Unfortunately, the Belgian forward struggled with fitness issues throughout his tenure at the club, making just 76 appearances across competitions over the course of four seasons, in which he garnered seven goals and 12 assists.
During the end of the 2022-23 campaign, Hazard's relationship with Ancelotti was reportedly broken and he left Real Madrid in the summer after a mutual agreement with the club to terminate his contract. Hazard then opted to retire at the age of 32 in October 2023.