Why Vinicius Jr deserves to win Ballon d'Or 2024?

The Brazilian has been tipped to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or award

From pundits to managers, many are calling Vinicius Jr deserves to win football’s most prestigious prize: The Ballon d’Or. The Forward has laid down a marker with his performance against Borussia Dortmund which has further put him ahead of his competitors for the award.

However, one would not entirely argue that he merits the award given he was a flop for Brazil during the Copa America 2024, had he led them to the trophy then he would have been the outright favourite to take the accolade home.

However, despite that he still remains the favourite to win the award, and why is that? His other rivals Jude Bellingham and Rodri are also in the race. Bellingham had an exceptional season last term, when he won the Champions League with Real and led England to the UEFA Euro 2024 final.

On the other hand, Rodri who operates as a defensive midfielder drove Spain to Euro 2024 trophy and Manchester City to the fourth Premier League title, with excellent statistics with nine goals and 14 assists in 50 matches for the Premier League side which is certainly insane for a defensive midfielder.

But many believe that above them Vinicius deserve the ultimate prize, and why is that, so let’s take a look at why the Brazilian should be handed the accolade.

Related: Ballon d’Or 2024: Date, time, location, all nominees, how awards are decided & more

Why does Vinicius Jr deserve the Ballon d’Or award?

The Real Madrid forward’s second-half hat-trick in the comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League 2024-25 demonstrated why he is the overwhelming favourite to win football’s most prestigious individual award at the annual event on Monday night.

Vinícius has further established himself as the best big-game player with his recent Champions League heroics. His start to the season will undoubtedly have swung the scales for those who haven’t cast their ballots yet. That is if it required tipping at all.

His total performance last season was just exceptional. He finished sixth among all players in the division with 20 goal involvements (15 goals, five assists) despite missing almost half of the season with injury. No one else played fewer than 1,900 minutes and had more than 15 goal involvements.

However, he was most notable for his ball carrying, especially for making a significant contribution after a carry.

Vinícius was far ahead of the pack in terms of carries that resulted in a successful dribble per 90 (4.9), but he was in the leading three for goal-ending (0.2), assist-ending (0.2), and shot-ending carries (1.5) per 90.

He has maintained his excellent form this season, ranking among the top players in LaLiga for carries, leading the league in shot-ending carries (12), and ranking third in terms of xG from carries that result in a shooting or chance produced (2.6). Injury concerns have not yet affected him.

Vinícius has continued his success from last season, scoring five goals and dishing out four assists in ten La Liga games this season. His current form is ideally timed for the Ballon d’Or announcement, as he has scored six goals and provided three assists in his last seven games across all competitions.

It would be difficult to claim that Vinícius led Madrid to victory the previous season, but it wouldn’t be completely wrong either.

However, he deserved to win the award because of his consistency as well as his significant contributions to memorable moments from the previous season.

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