Vinicius Junior announced himself as the top candidate to win the 2024 Golden Ball with a great performance against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the 2023/24 Champions League semi-finals.
The 2023/24 Champions League will not have a significant impact on Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe, who were both eliminated and barely left an impression in the knock-out round. This is also not Jude Bellingham’s Champions League season, when the English midfielder disappeared in both semi-final matches against Bayern.
Before the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, Vinicius himself declared that he would be the number 1 candidate for the 2024 Golden Ball title.
Currently, there is probably no player who shows stability and knows how to shine in big matches like Vinicius. In the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern recently, Vinicius tormented Joshua Kimmich, who is considered the world’s top full-back.
According to statistics, Vinicius had 7 successful passes in this match, equal to the number of the entire Bayern team combined. He is also the person who touches the ball the most in the opponent’s penalty area (12 times), launches the most shots (5 times) and hits the target the most (3 times).
Vinicius was voted the best player in both semi-final matches against Bayern
Without the excellence of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as well as a bit of bad luck, Vinicius would have scored at least 1 goal in this match. It’s a shame that Vini couldn’t have a celebration to honor one of his best performances for Real Madrid, if not the best.
The proof of Vinicius’ 10-point performance is that although Joselu was the hero with a double goal in the last minutes, it was the Brazilian star who was chosen as the best player of the match (MOTM).
This is also the second MOTM title that Vinicius won in two rounds of the Champions League semi-finals with Bayern. In the first leg, he scored a double to help Real draw their opponents in Germany. Obviously, Vini was the brightest star in Los Blancos’ final victory over the Bundesliga representative.
Vinicius joined Dortmund’s Mats Hummels in Champions League history as the first players to win the MOTM twice in a pair of semi-finals. This is a very difficult, if not impossible, achievement to repeat in Europe’s No. 1 club-level tournament.
Speaking after the match, Vinicius said: “This is Real Madrid! We always believed and we did it. It’s magical to play for this team in this stadium. This is an example.” Another example of us always believing in ourselves is that no matter how difficult it is, we can still overcome it.”
Vinicius is the leading candidate for the 2024 Golden Ball title
“If I have to drop back to help defend, I’ll do it, no problem. I can do anything to help the team win. I’m so lucky and so proud to play in this wonderful shirt color”.
“Playing for Real Madrid is a dream. I’m here to help this great club and these great fans. Let’s continue to unite; let’s make this club even greater together.”
According to teammate Dani Carvajal, Vinicius has made leaps and bounds and is proving himself to be one of the best players in the world. “He has improved in every aspect—his finishing ability, his physicality, his maturity in play, knowing when is the right time to attack or ask for the ball to be brought to his feet,” Carvajal said.
“Vini is one of the best players in the world and he is proving it. He has put in a lot of effort over the years and is approaching the pinnacle of his career.”
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez, Vinicius has now suddenly won the “Pole” (leading position) in the race to win the 2024 Golden Ball after two impressive performances against Bayern Munich at both Alianz Arena and Santiago Bernabeu. Even coach Ancelotti believes in this, saying: “I think Vinicius is getting close to winning the Golden Ball.”
If Mbappe or Bellingham cannot win the EURO 2024 championship and Vinicius brings the Copa America 2024 title to Brazil, he will almost certainly win this noble individual award.