Karim Benzema is backing Vinicius Junior to finally win the Ballon d’Or
Karim Benzema says Vinicius Junior will win the Ballon d’Or in the near future.
The Brazilian striker narrowly missed out on the prestigious award last year, with the trophy instead being presented to Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
The move sparked strong backlash from Vinicius and Real Madrid, who decided to skip the event altogether.
Benzema, who left Real Madrid in 2023 to join Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, was at Madrid’s recent Spanish Supercopa win against Mallorca in Jeddah and met with the team later in the day.
Speaking to Marca, Benzema said: “I told Vinicius not to take any notice of it. He shouldn’t lower his intensity because he is the best in the world and one day he will win the Ballon d’Or.”
Although he may have missed out on the top prize, Vinicius was awarded FIFA’s men’s ‘The Best’ award last month.
🤩 A VERY special visit to Jeddah!
👉 @Benzema#SuperSupercopa pic.twitter.com/z5JfwNZHE7— Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 9, 2025
Living in Saudi Arabia
Since leaving Madrid, Benzema has been enjoying life in Saudi Arabia.
The French striker is thriving at Al Ittihad, who are ahead of Al-Hilal at the top of the table. The 37-year-old has scored ten goals in ten games.
Responding to rumors that he could step down at the end of the season, Benzema said: “I don’t know whose words those are. Nonsense. I have no limit to say that I will stop playing football in two, three or four years.
“I feel good. My body is fine. I’m training well and we’ll see how I feel every year.”
“I want to keep winning.
“In my head I want to win a trophy with Al Ittihad. It’s difficult because the level has improved a lot and the teams are strong, better than before. We will keep working because we haven’t won anything yet.”
While he appears to be happy in Saudi Arabia, when asked about a possible return to Madrid in the future, Benzema left the door open, adding: “Why not?” I’m in Jeddah now and happy. The time will come to see what my life is like and I will definitely be near Madrid.”
