Ballon d'Or: Can Vinicius end Brazil's 17-year wait?

On December 2, 2007, Ricardo Kaka became the fourth Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or. Before him, the award, often called the "Oscars of football," was won by Ronaldo Nazario, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho. Since Kaka's win, seventeen years have passed, and no other Brazilian has claimed this top honor. Even Neymar, who surpassed the legendary Pelé as Brazil's top scorer, could not bring home a Ballon d'Or. However, now Vinicius Junior has a great opportunity to end that drought for Brazil.

What is Ballon d'Or?

The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in football, given annually by the magazine France Football to the best-performing player in the world. It was first introduced in 1956 and was initially intended for European players only, but since 1995, it has been open to players from all over the world. From 2010 to 2015, FIFA and France Football jointly awarded it as the "FIFA Ballon d'Or." However, in 2016, this partnership ended, and the Ballon d'Or returned to being organized independently by France Football, while FIFA started awarding a separate "FIFA The Best" award. The Ballon d'Or still holds more prestige than FIFA The Best.

The award has been won the most times—8 times—by Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. For most of the last 17 years, it has alternated between Messi and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. Outside of them, only Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have won it once each during this period. This year, for the first time in 21 years, neither Messi nor Ronaldo is among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or.

Contenders with Vinicius for the Ballon d'Or:

On September 4, France Football announced the nomination of 30 players for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. Among them are Real Madrid's Brazilian winger Vinicius, his teammate Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri.

The award evaluates performances from August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024. During this period, Vinicius faced challenges with the Brazilian national team but had an exceptional season with Real Madrid. He played a key role in helping the club secure the La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, and UEFA Champions League titles, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists across all competitions.

Jude Bellingham, Vinicius's teammate, is also a contender for the Ballon d'Or. He has won the same trophies as Vinicius and scored 23 goals with 13 assists for Real Madrid. Bellingham was named the best player in La Liga and led the England national team to the brink of winning Euro 2024, only to lose to Spain in the final due to a late goal. If England had emerged victorious, the Ballon d'Or race could have looked quite different.

Kylian Mbappe, who transferred from PSG to Real Madrid, is another strong candidate. While his team achievements are less notable, his individual performance has been remarkable. In the 2023-24 season, he scored 44 goals and provided 10 assists. Combined, Vinicius and Bellingham accounted for 47 goals (24 + 23), highlighting Mbappe's incredible form. Despite his success in the domestic league with PSG, the team struggled in the Champions League, and the French national team underperformed in the Euros, which reduces Mbappe's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.

Dani Carvajal, who has won six Champions League titles with Real Madrid, is in the running for the Ballon d'Or. As a defender, he doesn’t score as many goals or provide as many assists as Mbappe or Vinicius, but he does his job well. He plays strong defense and has scored important goals. In the last Champions League final, he scored before Vinicius, helping Real Madrid win against Borussia Dortmund. Last season, Carvajal helped his team win the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup. He also achieved great things with the national team, winning Euro 2024.

Along with Vinicius' teammates, there is also Lautaro Martinez from Argentina in the Ballon d'Or race. Playing for Inter Milan, he won the Serie A title and the Italian Super Cup. He scored 27 goals last season and was the top scorer in Serie A. It seems Lautaro saved his best performance for the Copa America.

Even though Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar 2022, Martinez had a tough time and didn’t score any goals, facing a lot of criticism. This time, he wanted to prove himself, scoring five goals to become the top scorer in the Copa America. He even scored in the final, helping Argentina win the title after Messi left the field in tears.

Record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi believes Lautaro deserves the award this year. He said, “Lautaro has had an amazing year, scoring in the Copa America final and being the top scorer. He deserves the Ballon d'Or more than anyone else.” Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni said, “I don’t think anyone is more deserving of the Ballon d'Or than Lautaro Martinez. Even if he doesn't win it now, he will in the future. He has a bright future ahead.”

Vini's biggest competitor
Vinicius's biggest competitor is probably Rodri. Last season, the Spanish midfielder from Manchester City scored 12 goals and made 15 assists. Even though Manchester City didn’t win the Champions League, they won the English Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup. He also played well for the Spanish national team, helping them win the Euro and getting the "Best Player" award.

Many football experts believe it’s just a matter of time before Vinicius wins the Ballon d'Or, no matter how good Mbappe, Rodri, and Bellingham's stats are. The only thing left is the official announcement.

Brazilian fans hope Vinicius will receive the Ballon d'Or at the Théâtre du Châtelet on Monday night (October 28) in Paris. However, their hopes go beyond just winning the award. They want Vinicius to lead the five-time World Cup champions, Brazil, to bring back their artistic style of play and restore their dominance in world football.