Yahoo Sports Premier League legend chooses Real Madrid superstar as his pick for Ballon d’Or
Real Madrid dominated club football last season, both at the domestic and the European level.
Los Blancos were crowned the champions of Spain convincingly, a staggering ten points above second-placed Barcelona.
In the UEFA Champions League, they got the better of not only Manchester City but even Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund on their way to the trophy.
The team’s heroics across competitions, needless to say, give some players very good odds of taking home some of the prestigious individual awards for last season. Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr appear to be the best placed.
Ferdinand has his say
In a recent media interview on BBC Sport, English legend and famed pundit Rio Ferdinand was asked about his opinion on Vinicius Jr potentially winning the Ballon d’Or this season.
“Vinicius Jr. for Ballon d’Or? Yes. I don’t think anyone has done anything else to suggest that should change,” he said, asserting that the Brazilian was the best placed to take the accolade home.
He added, however, that tonight’s result in the Euro semifinal and potentially the Finale could have a big bearing on Jude Bellingham’s chances.
“Unless Jude [Bellingham] can be decisive and England win the Euros, he could shake things up.”
The impact of international performance
While Vinicius was in decent nick for Brazil in the Copa America group stages, his suspension in the quarterfinal proved costly for the team as they failed to get the better of ten-man Uruguay.
The Real Madrid sensation posted on social media to publicly apologise for the team’s failures, and needless to say, the result will have a bearing on his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
Thanks to his exploits at the club level, Vinicius may still be the favourite to take the award home. The opportunity, however, lies with Jude Bellingham as England are still alive in the Euros.
Should the midfielder have a big role to play in helping his side advance to the final and potentially win the tournament, he could overtake his teammate as the favourite to win the race. In either scenario, it is a win-win situation for Real Madrid.
