What Rodri, Vinicius and Bellingham have said about winning this year’s Ballon d’Or
It’s fair to say that Rodri, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or this year, but what have they each said about winning the prestigious prize?
With the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi now in the rearview mirror, this year’s Ballon d’Or is more open than ever with several worthy winners.
Vinicius and Bellingham both played key roles in Real Madrid winning the Champions League, whereas Rodri continues to be instrumental for both Manchester City and Spain.
As of writing, Vinicius is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or, although Rodri and Bellingham aren’t far behind the Brazilian going off the latest bookmaker’s odds.
We’ve taken a closer look at all three players and have found what they have all said about potentially winning the prestigious award this year.
Vinicius Junior
If Vinicius does manage to win the Ballon d’Or, he will become the first Brazilian to win the award since Kaka who won it back in 2007.
The Real Madrid star aims to emulate the Brazilian stars who have gone before him, including Marta, one of the greatest female footballers of all time.
“I have to talk about Marta, who is the greatest to ever play the [women’s game],” Vinicius told CNN.
“I have great affection for her because I believe she changed the sport and put women’s football on the level it deserves. Women’s football is growing day by day and Marta was one of the pioneers. Marta is for us is what Pele was for everyone in Brazil, like Ayrton Senna, she’s from a level where there is one person in every million.
“And as for the men’s players, I have Kaka as an example, I have Ronaldo who won the award twice, I have Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, a lot of Brazilian players who have won the Ballon d’Or.
“But without a doubt, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are the ones I’m closest with, who tell me every day that I have to win the Ballon d’Or.
“I was with Ronaldo just now when I was in Ibiza and trained at his house and he told me: ‘Train here a few more days, so you are closer to the Ballon d’Or.’
“They are players who did incredible things and to be able to compete for the Ballon d’Or and to win an award that they won, that would be something really incredible.”
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Jude Bellingham
Bellingham’s debut season in Madrid was nothing short of spectacular as the 21-year-old scored 23 goals and won the league, Supercopa de Espana and Champions League.
While the Real Madrid star is certainly in contention for this year’s award, he gave a relaxed answer when quizzed about his prospects of winning it.
“I’m not really too fussed about it,” Bellingham admitted back in June.
“I always felt that those awards were like for strikers and wingers, the flashy players. I know I can entertain the crowd but no-one can do it like Vini. When he is at his best, he’s the best player in the world.”
Rodri
Other than Luka Modric, the last time a holding midfielder won the Ballon d’Or was way back in 1996 when German midfielder Matthias Sammer beat the likes of Ronaldo and Alan Shearer to the prize.
While a player like Rodri doesn’t necessarily have the flair of Vinicius or the output of Bellingham, his importance to his team is just as crucial.
Having won the Euros this summer, Rodri is a firm believer that a Spanish player should win the Ballon d’Or this year as he told BBC Sport: “A Spaniard deserves to win.”
“Spanish football deserves a Ballon d’Or winner,” Rodri said after his team’s 2-1 triumph over England. “Spain deserves to win a Ballon d’Or.”
The last time a Spanish player won the Ballon d’Or was all the way back in 1960 when Luis Suarez lifted the prize.