"He's the biggest threat" - Barcelona star Jules Kounde names Real Madrid man as 2024 Ballon d'Or favorite ahead of El Clasico
Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has picked Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. as his favorite for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. The two teams will face each other in the season's first El Clasico on Saturday (October 26) at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With just three days to go before the Ballon d'Or ceremony, footballing discourse is mostly centered around predicting the winner of the prestigious award. Stars like Manchester City's Rodri, Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez are among the favorites to get a podium finish at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
In an interview with SportyTV ahead of Saturday's El Clasico, Barcelona's Jules Kounde hailed Vinicius Jr. as the favorite for the Ballon d'Or, detailing the importance of stopping him in the game.
“Scared of Viní Jr? No, not scared. He’s the favorite for the Ballon d’Or, it’s a challenge, I love playing against the best. I would say he’s the biggest threat,” said the Barcelona defender (via @MadridXtra on X).
Vinicius Jr. was one of the most crucial players for Real Madrid in the 2023-24 season, recording 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across competitions. The Brazilian won the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, and the Supercopa de Espana with the Spanish giants.
Vinicius Jr. was especially clutch in the UEFA Champions League, where he scored six goals and recorded five assists in 10 games. He was a difference-maker in both legs of the semi-final against Bayern Munich, helping Real Madrid edge past the Bavarians by a margin of 4-3 (on aggregate).
The talismanic left-winger also scored in the 2-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley. He won the Champions League Player of the Year award last season.
Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong talks about stopping Ballon d'Or favorite Vinicius Jr. against Real Madrid
Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong raved about Ballon d'Or favorite Vinicius Jr.'s qualities days before the season's first El Clasico. The Dutchman stressed the importance of being careful against the Brazilian, who has been in terrific form this season.
In 14 games this season, Vinicius Jr. has scored eight goals and tallied seven assists across competitions. This includes an onslaught against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League home clash on October 22. The Brazilian scored a second-half hat trick (62',86', and 90'+3') to help his side get a 5-2 win after trailing 2-0 by the end of the first half.
In an interview before the top-of-the-table LaLiga clash, Frenkie de Jong was asked about his plan to keep the Ballon d'Or frontrunner at bay. De Jong replied (via Barca Universal):
“We’ll see, we’ll see. We need to stop him as a team, but he’s a fantastic player. He’s performing really well. Last season he had an amazing season. This season so far he’s performing brilliantly. I think he’s a world-class player with high quality. We need to be careful with him, but they have many other fantastic players.”
At present, Barcelona are at the top of the La Liga table, with 27 points in 10 games. They have a three-point advantage over Real Madrid, who are at 24 points.