Neymar explains why Vincius Jr 'deserves' to win Ballon d'Or

Feargal Brennan

Neymar explains why Vincius Jr 'deserves' to win Ballon d'Or image

Former Barcelona star Neymar Jr is in no doubt over who should win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award as the ceremony comes into view on October 28.

The list of nominees will be cut down on the night, with the likelihood of a straight battle between Manchester City's midfield lynchpin Rodri and Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior.

Rodri is currently back in Madrid recovering from knee surgery, after winning a fourth successive Premier League title at the end of last season and playing a crucial role in Spain's Euro 2024 glory.

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Vinicius Jr put his foot on the clutch at the key moments for Los Blancos in 2023/24, with a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double, and 24 goals scored in all competitions.

Vinicius Junior Real Madrid 100124

Neymar was asked about his view on who should win the award - which he infamously never managed to do - and his full support is behind his fellow Brazilian.

"He had a great season, he played a lot of games and I will support him because he will definitely win the Ballon d'Or", as per reports from Mundo Deportivo.

"There is no one better, he's an idol for us all.

"I hope he returns to Brazil soon with the trophy, he's a guy who deserves it because he's a fighter, who suffered a lot throughout his life.

"He was able to exceed all expectations and overcome all the criticism."

Ballon d'Or nominees 2024

The nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2024 were announced on a L'Equipe live stream at 18:20 CET (12:20 ET/17:20 BST) on Wednesday, September 4.

List of Ballon d'Or 2024 nominees

PlayerClubNational team
Jude BellinghamReal MadridEngland
Ruben DiasManchester CityPortugal
Phil FodenManchester CityEngland
Federico ValverdeReal MadridUruguay
Emiliano MartinezAston VillaArgentina
Erling HaalandManchester CityNorway
Nico WilliamsAthletic ClubSpain
Granit XhakaBayer LeverkusenSwitzerland
Artem DovbykRoma*Ukraine
Toni KroosReal Madrid**Germany
Vinicius JuniorReal MadridBrazil
Dani OlmoBarcelona***Spain
Florian WirtzBayer LeverkusenGermany
Martin OdegaardArsenalNorway
Mats HummelsBorussia Dortmund****Germany
RodriManchester CitySpain
Harry KaneBayern MunichEngland
Declan RiceArsenalEngland
VitinhaPSGPortugal
Cole PalmerChelseaEngland
Dani CarvajalReal MadridSpain
Lamine YamalBarcelonaSpain
Bukayo SakaArsenalEngland
Hakan CalhanogluInter MilanTurkey
William SalibaArsenalFrance
Kylian MbappeReal Madrid*****France
Lautaro MartinezInter MilanArgentina
Ademola LookmanAtalantaNigeria
Antonio RudigerReal MadridGermany
Alejandro GrimaldoBayer LeverkusenSpain

*Transferred from Girona in August 2024
**Retired from football in July 2024
***Transferred from RB Leipzig in August 2024
****Became a free agent after leaving Dortmund in June 2024
*****Transferred to Real Madrid after leaving PSG in July 2024

When is 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony?

The 2024 Ballon d'Or gala is due to be held on Monday, October 28, 2024 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.

The ceremony is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).

Feargal Brennan

Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.