‘Deserved to win’ – Former Real Madrid teammate admits Vinícius Jr. is ‘sad’

Former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has spoken out on the struggles being endured by ex-Blancos teammate Vinícius Jr. over the last couple of days.

This of course comes after the Brazilian was overlooked for the Ballon d’Or.

Despite having stood as the long-time frontrunner for the prize, France Football’s ‘Golden Ball’ in the end did not go to Vinícius, but rather Manchester City star Rodri.

The fallout from as much, meanwhile, proved as widespread as it did immediate, with Real Madrid, as a collective, having made the decision to completely boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Vinícius, for his part, has remained relatively tight-lipped, save for a couple of posts across his social media platforms.

But this does not come owing to a lack of care on the part of the 24-year-old.

That’s if the latest comments on the part of the aforementioned Karim Benzema are anything to go by, anyway.

Speaking during an interview with El Chiringuito TV on Wednesday, frontman Benzema, a former winner of the award and close friend of Vinícius, was asked if he has spoken to the winger since his Ballon d’Or snub was made official.

And Benzema, in quotes gathered by Fabrizio Romano, went on to admit:

“I spoke to Vini, he’s sad… it’s also normal. He deserved to win the Ballon d’Or.”

The Al-Ittihad star continued:

“I’ve nothing against Rodri, good player… but I’m in my sofa watching TV and Rodri doesn’t do anything that makes you say: wow!”

Conor Laird – GSFN