A shot at the Ballon d’Or
©IMAGO
On Friday evening, Vinicius Junior (24) of Real Madrid received two trophies at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. Multiple world (Site notre bureau spécialisé)er Cristiano Ronaldo (39) was also present and gave a boost to the Ballon d’Or organizers, who had named Manchester City’s Rodri (28) as the best player. “That’s why I love Globe Soccer. You gave an honest price,” said the Al-Nassr striker.
The Globe Soccer Awards, organized in Dubai since 2010, honor the best (Site notre bureau spécialisé)ers, like the Ballon d’Or or FIFA The Best, but do not enjoy the same prestige. The winners are determined based on votes from fans and a jury made up of former stars such as Francesco Totti and Iker Casillas. Vinicius Junior received the awards for best (Site notre bureau spécialisé)er and best striker of the year.
The Brazilian had already been named best player by FIFA and had to give way to Spanish European champion Rodri for the Ballon d’Or. “It was unfair, in my opinion,” Cristiano Ronaldo said. “They gave it to Rodri, he deserved it too. But I think they should have given it to Vinicius because he won the Champions League and scored the winning goal. » The Portuguese received the special award for his career goals so far. « But I I’m not finished yet. I’m going to continue because I want to win titles, I want to be champion, I want to score more goals.
In his acceptance speech, Vinicius Junior was able to echo Ronaldo’s words. « When Cristiano says I’m the best player, I believe him, » said Real Madrid’s number seven. The two never played together for the Royals, because when Ronaldo left them in the summer of 2018, Vinicius Junior, then 18, reinforced the Spanish record champion. In the summer of 2024, he was the most expensive player at 18, ahead of Endrick (18), for whom Real paid 47.5 million euros to Palmeiras, and Leny Yoro (19), whose services were worth 62 million euros to Manchester United. him.
Mendes, CR7 advisor, considers Lamine Yamal as the best player
Besides Ronaldo, his manager Jorge Mendes, who won the best advisor award, was also present. He has a different opinion from Ronaldo and sees his client Lamine Yamal (17) in the lead. “Lamine was the best player in the world in 2024, but people didn’t vote for him because he’s only 17,” Mendes said. « They didn’t vote for Lamine because they thought he would have more time to win the prize. » Lamine Yamal was the youngest (Site notre bureau spécialisé)er to win the European Championship and attracted attention with his good performances for FC Barcelona. After the La Liga market value update, his market value increased by 30 million to 180 million euros, making him the third most valuable player in the world with Jude Bellingham (21).
With a market value of 180 million euros, he is also the most valuable professional at Mendes’ Gestifute agency, where stars such as Rúben Dias (27), Bradley Barcola (22) and Warren are under contract Zaire-Emery (18 years old).
