To win the Ballon d’Or in this era you have to be and be called Leo Messi or you have to play with the Real Madrid shirt. Tonight at the Châtelet theater in Paris, the unwritten rule that governs football will be confirmed once again when the most prestigious individual trophy is awarded, which will choose the best footballer of the 2023-24 season. If there is no capital surprise Vinícius jr. will go up to the stage to collect the award. But the coronation ceremony will not be as happy and pompous as it could be.
The Ballon d’Or by definition looks to the past, and the previous year was, without a doubt, splendid for Ancelotti’s team in a year that also seemed like a transition. However, the present does not accompany a rarefied atmosphere despite the signing of Mbappé. The 0-4 loss in the classic, the defeat of the eternal rival and the anger of the white fans with the poor image that their team gave, made the ceremony bitter.
The successes
The Champions League and the League that Real Madrid won will prevail over Rodri’s Premier League and Euro Cup
Two years after Benzema’s and six after Modric’s, Real Madrid will once again have another Ballon d’Or. Everything indicates that the Champions League, the Spanish League and the Spanish Super Cup won by Real Madrid will prevail over the English Premier , the Club World Cup and the Rodri Euro Cup. City’s Spanish footballer was the only alternative to Madrid favoritism, with Vinícius and Bellingham as stilettos. Against Carvajal, currently seriously injured, he plays as a defender and, although he opened the scoring in the Wembley final against Borussia Dortmund (0-2), that is always a handicap.
Only on four occasions has it happened that, with Real Madrid being the European champion, the Ballon d’Or has not gone to a footballer wearing their shirt.
The tradition
Since 2000, whenever Madrid has been European champion, the award has gone to a white player.
One was in the first edition when it was decided to reward the career of Stanley Matthews, who was 41 years old. Later, it was repeated in 1960 in the only male award for a Spanish footballer: Luis Suárez, then with Barça. In the other two, it coincided with a World Cup year, which elevated Bobby Charlton (1966) and Zinédine Zidane (1998), champions with England and France, respectively, both as hosts. But since 2000, the correlation has never been broken in the last seven White Champions Leagues.
All roads lead to Vinícius, who has never been so decisive before, with 24 goals – he closed the score in the Champions League final – and 11 assists. What continues to resist him is triumphing with Brazil. This summer, in the Copa América, he scored two goals in the group stage but then was unable to play in the quarterfinals due to suspension for a cycle of two yellow cards and his team did not advance.
The youngest since Messi in 2011
At 24 years old, the Brazilian achieves world star status, although his haughty and provocative character has earned him animosity.
At 24 years old, the Brazilian achieved world star status, although his haughty character with referees and provocation with defenders has earned him animosity in many stadiums. In 12 months he has gone from being sixth and settling for the Socrates prize for his foundation’s project to being at the top. It had been more than a decade since such a young footballer had won the trophy. It was precisely Messi, who at that age, picked up his third win. 16 years later the Ballon d’Or once again crowns a Brazilian. The last one had been Kaká.
However, it is not the same to receive the prestigious award after scoring a hat trick on a stage like the Champions League, than taking the stand after losing and leaving the duel between the two greats of the League scalded. Yes, Vinícius excelled last Tuesday against Borussia with three goals in the whites’ comeback. But more recent is the disgrace that his team received in front of their own fans on Saturday in the classic against Barcelona, which scored four goals and left them six points in the standings. “Humiliation” was the headline chosen by the digital version of the French newspaper L’Equipe.
The praise has been buried by criticism. Therefore, the happiness of Vinícius and Carlo Ancelotti, favorite for best coach ahead of Luis de la Fuente, Guardiola and Xabi Alonso, will not be complete.
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