Carlo Ancelotti lets slip he knows who'll win Ballon d'Or between Real Madrid team-mates

Vinicius Jr enjoyed a superb play for Real Madrid past year, netting 24 goals successful each competitions arsenic helium lifted LaLiga and the Champions League, and brag Carlo Ancelotti has present backed him to triumph his archetypal Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid brag Carlo Ancelotti has claimed Vinicius Jr volition triumph the Ballon d'Or aft masterminding the club's latest Champions League triumph.

Vinicius is wide considered arsenic 1 of the champion players successful world football, with the guardant bidding to assertion the coveted idiosyncratic prize adjacent week aft Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the grant for implicit a decade.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a superb play past year, netting 24 goals successful each competitions arsenic helium lifted some LaLiga and the Champions League. This word helium has built connected that success, scoring 8 times successful 14 appearances.

His Real Madrid team-mates Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo volition besides beryllium contenders to triumph the Ballon d'Or, but Ancelotti believes Vinicius volition beryllium victorious arsenic helium raved astir his subordinate pursuing an unthinkable show against Dortmund.

The European champions recovered themselves 2-0 down against past season's finalists, earlier Vinicius scored a second-half hattrick, with Rudiger and Lucas Vasquez netting successful the melodramatic 5-2 victory.

"It's uncommon to spot a subordinate execute similar Vinícius did successful the 2nd half, not conscionable with the goals, but with an bonzer energy, intensity, and character," helium said aft the 5-2 comeback win.

"I deliberation he’s going to triumph the Ballon d'Or for what helium did past year, helping america triumph the Champions League, not for today’s 3 goals, which volition number towards adjacent year’s Ballon d'Or."

Manchester City's Rodri volition besides beryllium 1 of the favourites to triumph the Ballon d'Or aft winning the Premier League and Euros with Spain, portion the likes of Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal and Phil Foden could besides beryllium successful with a accidental too.

The Ballon d'Or victor volition beryllium decided astatine the lavish ceremonial connected October 28, arsenic shot prepares to springiness mode to a caller epoch with Messi and Ronaldo not among the frontrunners.

It comes aft Rodri said helium felt helium had "already won" the Ballon d'Or aft overwhelming reception from fans and pundits pursuing an unthinkable play with Manchester City.

"People accidental I'm going to combat with Vinicius, who is idiosyncratic I admire. I deliberation helium is simply a large player,” Rodri told ESPN. "Just being successful the speech makes maine precise arrogant of the enactment I've enactment in. It volition beryllium a small spot connected what radical worth [when they vote], what they believe, and honestly, determination are a batch of players who merit to triumph it, truthful we volition spot what the determination is.

Messi - who has claimed 8 Ballon d'Or prizes - won past year's grant successful designation of his World Cup triumph, with Karim Benzema winning the 2022 edition. Messi had won the erstwhile 2 grant ceremonies - with the 2020 prize not fixed retired owed to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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