Vinicius Jr would do it 10 times if he had to. At least, that’s what he told us. The Real Madrid winger, hours after being narrowly pipped to the 2024 Ballon d’Or by Manchester City’s Rodri, promised a glorious response. He would turn it on, find his groove, and prove to everyone that a mistake was made, that the wrong man won. Vinicius’ ‘Revenge Tour’ was on.
Except, not quite. Since that social media post, fired off on October 29, Vinicius has been well below his usual levels, with any Ballon d’Or bid seemingly on ice. There are somewhere between three and five players who are more likely to win it than him right now, with one of those a team-mate in Madrid.
And so we arrive at Los Blancos’ Champions League knockout play-off against Man City. Neither side really wants to be here, and if UEFA had their way, both would be waiting eagerly in the last 16 for the winner of one of these fixtures. But they will meet all the same – with one of the competition’s presumptive favourites going home before it feels like the real competition has begun.
This is the kind of moment that Vinicius was, presumably, talking about. The knockouts of these competitions are where Ballons d’Or are won, where the stars stand up. And while last year Vini felt he was the red-hot talent robbed of his trophy, he is now coming into a crucial fixture short of his best and with plenty to prove if he is to finally get his hands on the Golden Ball.