Big-game baller Vinicius Jr has earned the Ballon d’Or: Brazilian has proven he can carry Real Madrid’s next great team

The biggest, most irrefutable, argument for Vinicius Jr winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or isn’t a single goal. Nor is it a number, or a trend. Rather, this player’s impact can be best explained by a pre-season friendly against Barcelona in New York in August. Still recovering from the Copa America and perhaps slightly underprepared thanks to an hour-long lightning delay, Vinicius was introduced into the contest with 30 minutes to play.

He didn’t score, nor did he assist. But in that cameo, with Vinicius still rusty and needing a few more weeks of holiday, everything that was great about the Brazilian was on display. There were the twists, turns, and stepovers, the bursts of pace down the line, the audacity to try a rainbow flick. The crowd – 82,000 in MetLife Stadium, mostly clad in Madrid white – rose to its feet every time he touched the ball.

And such was the deserved reaction for a player who has somehow remained out of the world-class conversation for far too long. Vinicius spent a lot of the early days of his Madrid career playing alongside more impactful players, and then even longer either being ignored or somehow underrated.

Last season, though, everything fell into place. Vinicius ended the season with a La Liga-Champions League double having played a starring role for his side, and always showed up in the big games. He made the Champions League his playground, and a return of 26 goals and 11 assists for club and country makes for fine reading.

The 2023-24 campaign wasn’t the year that Vinicius came good, but it was the first year when he truly became a difference-maker. No one, then, is more deserving of the Ballon d’Or than the magical Brazilian.

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  Accepting a new role

  It always figured to be a bit of a strange season for Vinicius. The departure of Karim Benzema – announced suddenly on the eve of pre-season – saw Madrid’s system change dramatically right when it should have been falling into place. Carlo Ancelotti, ever the great tactician, responded in turn. Vinicius was no longer an outright winger. No, he was a striker, part of a front two alongside compatriot Rodrygo, asked to play narrower, and occupy often unfamiliar positions.

  Throw in the fact that he no longer had his arch-enemy-turned-running-mate Benzema to link up with, and there really should have been an adjustment period for the Brazilian. Not so fast.

  There were, admittedly some growing pains, but Vinicius darted into the season with aplomb. He created chaos in the opener against a tricky Athletic Club team, running rings around his man and looking dangerous every time he touched the ball. That crucial end product then showed up in the second game of the campaign, where he iced a 3-1 win over Almeria.

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    The great showman

    Injuries showed up after then, a tweak to his quad ruling the Brazilian out for a month. All the while, Jude Bellingham began playing hero for Los Blancos, enjoying the best start to any campaign for the famous whites since Cristiano Ronaldo. There was a sense through September and October that the England midfielder already had the Ballon d’Or wrapped up.

    Then Vinicius returned, and everything started to fall into place for Madrid in terms of turning ugly wins into straightforward ones. While Bellingham was still finding the net at a furious rate, Vinicius was doing all of the crucial bits to stretch defences and set things up.

    Perhaps most importantly, he always entertained. There were the outrageous flicks, tricks and stepovers. He could decelerate and take off before opposing full-backs could even interpret the direction of the ball. He juggled on the wing by way of teasing opponents, and every time the ball went out of play, Vinicius could be found facing the crowd, waving his arms into the air by way of getting behind the team.

    Such things often drew the ire of opposing players and fans alike. Those passages were often associated with cockiness or complacency (it is well known, of course, that professional athletes are not supposed to have fun). But for onlookers without bias or agenda, Vinicius is what made football watchable. Know little about the sport, and you could still marvel at this audacious showman, tucked into the space between the opposing full-back and centre-back, dribbling around – and looking like he was enjoying every second.
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    Supercopa kickstart

    Vinicius, though, saved his best for the very biggest games. The main argument for him to win the Ballon d’Or is based on Vinicius’ ability to show up when it really counts. This is regarded as a novel concept for the player, but it really can be traced back some time, as Vinicius’ penchant to light up the grandest stages started as early as Madrid’s 2021-22 run to the Champions League final.

    The Brazilian tore Manchester City apart in the first leg at the Etihad, a performance marked by a ridiculous turn and finish to leave Fernandinho in the dust. He did the same in the final a month later, scoring the winning goal with Los Blancos’ only real chance against Liverpool.

    Last season, though, his affinity for the big moment became even clearer, with the Supercopa final against Barcelona in January the first real example. Whatever weight one might put on a glorified mid-season friendly, any clash between Barca and Madrid – with a trophy on the line – is gargantuan. And Vinicius showed just how much he wanted it. The forward found the net three times in the first half – scoring in the seventh, 10th and 39th minute to give his side an unassailable lead in Saudi Arabia.

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    Ridiculous in Europe

    And then came the Champions League knockouts, a stage that has steadily become Vinicius’ favourite arena. In fact, he played a crucial role in each of Madrid’s knockout ties. The first came against Leipzig in the round of 16, where he gave Los Blancos a 2-0 aggregate lead early on at the Bernabeu – room enough to carry them into the quarter-finals despite a spirited showing from the German outfit.

    He showed up again in the last eight. Los Blancos’ tie with Manchester City felt more like a final than an affair with two further rounds to go, and Vinicius approached it with the kind of ruthlessness that he might with the biggest game of the year. He was instrumental in the chaotic 3-3 draw in the home leg, assisting two of Madrid’s goals. And then in the away tie – a 1-1 draw at the Etihad and eventual penalty shootout win – played a vital pass in the run up to Rodrygo’s opener.

    Bayern Munich in the semis was perhaps his crowning moment, though. Vinicius scored twice – first from open play, later from the penalty spot – to secure a hard-fought away draw. The Bavarians, for all of their struggles under Thomas Tuchel, had impressed in the Champions League – and are always difficult to beat at the Allianz Arena, but Vinicius ensured Madrid remained favourites to advance, albeit they needed a late intervention from Joselu in the second leg to secure passage to the final.

    Of course, Vinicius also showed up on the biggest stage of them all, icing the final victory over Borussia Dortmund to secure Madrid an historic 15th European Cup.
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    Some imperfections

    It wasn’t quite a perfect campaign from Vinicius, though. For all of the evidence that he should win the Golden Ball – and there’s plenty of it – the forward has arguments against his suitability.

    There are fair concerns about his injury record, as Vinicius managed just 26 La Liga appearances out of 38, and only made 43 starts in all competitions for club and country.

    His performances at Copa America were also lacking, with the Brazilian failing to make an impact before being suspended for the Selecao’s eventual quarter-final loss to Colombia. More broadly, Vinicius has always struggled for his country. Once in the shadow of Neymar, he now has nowhere to hide, and he will need to piece everything together once he puts his national-team shirt on to put himself among the true greats in the years to come. Still, there are deeper concerns for Brazil to figure out first, real issues that require more than the awakening of one star player.

    And a look at the rest of the landscape suggests that there isn’t quite a player who has done more to deserve it. Bellingham has a claim, but his numbers dropped off after Christmas. Rodri and Dani Carvajal will certainly have their supporters, but neither operated in a starring role for their respective club sides, nor Spain at the Euros.

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    More to come?

    So, Vinicius really should get his hands on the award he so richly deserves. This is the first Ballon d’Or campaign of the post-Lionel Messi era; the Argentine will never lift the trophy again, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s moment is also long gone. For some time, the future was regarded as being a straight duel between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, and with good reason. After all, those two are the most devastating pure goal-scorers in Europe. This is a lazy award at times, and they offer the most obvious metric of success.

    But this year, it should be Vinicius’. He has scored when it matters, assisted throughout, and, quite simply, been the best footballer on the planet over the course of the last 12 months. There will be other competitors in the seasons to come. But in 2024, Real Madrid’s new Galactico-in-chief should be crowned as the best in the game.