Vinicius Jr earned an ovation from Madrid fans at the Bernabeu on Tuesday with an outstanding performance as the club came from behind to beat Dortmund 5-2 in the Champions League. The Brazilian completed a hat-trick as Madrid rallied in the second half to turn around a 2-0 deficit. The hat trick couldn’t have come at a more auspicious time as the Ballon d’Or award ceremony comes up on Monday 28 October and Vinicius is a leading contender.
Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti tipped the Brazilian forward for the award again following his exhilarating performance on Tuesday, describing him as “an extraordinary character.” The 24-year-old who was instrumental to Madrid’s League and Champions League double last season has been hailed as a favourite to win the iconic award in many quarters.
Vinicius is already a recipient of the second-ever Socrates Award, named after the Brazilian legend and awarded to the footballer with the most significant contribution to humanitarian cause within a year. However, Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award a footballer can get for their performance on the pitch. It is therefore a dream for many footballers. Vinicius’ performance on Tuesday is just another pointer to why he is the favourite of many to win the award.
The Brazilian levelled the scores for Madrid with a tap in the 62nd minute, two minutes after Antonio Rüdiger opened the scoring for the Los Blancos. Madrid went up 3-2 with a Lucas Vasquez goal in the 83rd minute. But it was far from over. Vinicius eliminated all threats of an equalizer from Dortmund when he played a shot from the edge of the box after beating Emre Can to send Madrid 4-2 up. His next goal came in stoppage time when he beat three Dortmund players to put the ball into the roof of Dortmund’s goal. He removed his shirt in celebration and ran towards the fans who by then had started chanting “Ballon d’Or – Vinicius Ballon d’Or.” He expressed his satisfaction at this in an interview he granted after the game. He said,
“It’s a dream made reality when our fans chant my name, I want to keep rewarding them with more and more goals.
“I’m 24 and I want to stay with Madrid forever. I want to give everything back to a club which has given me so much.”
Vinicius is up against 29 other nominees for the Ballon d’Or including teammates Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes. Others include Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
