Benzema hopes Vinicius will win Ballon d'Or one day

In October 2024 Vinicius made headlines in the sports press around the world after he was shockingly beaten by Manchester City midfielder Rodri in the final voting for the Ballon d'Or 2024 winner. 

For many professional players and even coaches, the Brazilian should have been chosen as the winner of the individual award, for his incredible performance in the 2023/24 season, being key in Real Madrid's Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Super Cup triumphs.

In fact, Karim Benzema, who shared a dressing room with him at Real Madrid and even lifted the 14th UCL title for 'Los Blancos' forming a lethal duo up front, urged the Brazilian to forget about those awards, although he hopes that one day he will be recognised by the whole world with such an accolade.

“I think these Ballon d'Or things are over. For me, for everyone, he is the best. He is Real Madrid's determining player and he always makes the difference. I am very happy and proud of his work. I've already told him, hopefully one day he can win the Ballon d'Or, but it's more important that he continues like this at Madrid, doing the things they do," he told 'TNT Sports'.