Vinicius is really wrong if he wants the Ballon d'Or with this skill.
After the 2023-2024 season concluded, Vinicius was a leading candidate for the Ballon d'Or. This is because he led Real to the top of Spain and Europe with really great performances in Spain's La Liga and the European Champions League (UCL).
But the winner of the Ballon d'Or was Rodri. Real's votes were dispersed as several players were at the top of the Ballon d'Or standings, and Vinicius was very disappointed in his performance for the national team, unlike Rodri, who won Euro 2024. Rodri's award was also a fully understandable result, but Vinicius expressed great dissatisfaction. In addition, Vinicius is a player who has been controversial for his non-manner behavior several times.
Vinicius in the 2024-2025 season, which he faced, was very disappointing in the second half of the season. It is no exaggeration to say that it was almost quiet in the second half of the season when we had to decide on farming for the season. In the league, Vinicius has just 11 goals and nine assists with one game remaining. The only offensive points recorded in the second half were three goals and two assists. All other offensive points were recorded before December.
The same is true of UCL. He seems to have performed very well with eight goals and three assists in 12 games, but he only scored one goal and two assists in six games at the important tournament stage. At this level, it is not strange for Vinicius to be mentioned as the reason why Real's performance has fluctuated more in the second half of the season.
As Real's balance between offense and defense has collapsed this season, individual players' performance could fall. It is also true that with the recruitment of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius's previous share of Real's attack has decreased significantly. Still, if you are a player who calls yourself a Ballon d'Or-class player, this kind of performance is very disappointing.
Ferran Torres, who plays mostly as a substitute for Barcelona, has 10 goals and six assists. Vinicius has more than twice as much playing time in the league as Ferran. Vinicius's La Liga performance this season is tied for 10th in scoring, second in assists and seventh overall in attack points. Any player with such a report card will never come close to the Ballon d'Or in the future. It's even more disappointing considering Vinicius's ransom is number one in the world.
If Vinicius fails to rebound next season, there is no reason for Real to hold Vinicius to the end. Because there is Mbappe. It is also true that Vinicius's absence is not too much of a concern if Mbappe is brought in a new big striker after turning left. For Real, if they choose either Vinicius or Mbappe for the balance of offense and defense, they will choose to sell Vinicius at an expensive price to Saudi Arabia.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
