Real Madrid midfielder, Federico Valverde has picked teammate Vinicius Junior as the next Ballon d’Or winner.
Vinicius is already a frontrunner among the players nominated for this year’s award following an impressive campaign.
The Brazilian helped Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League triumph last season, scoring 24 goals and 11 assists from 39 games across competitions.
The Brazilian also was crucial as Los Blancos claimed the Supercopa de Espana.
His efforts earned him a place among the final 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or.
Also in contention for the award are Manchester City midfielder Rodri, Real Madrid ‘s Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and Kylian Mbappe.
However, Valverde is convinced that his Los Blancos teammate will triumph.
Vinicius was recently handed the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season award and commenting on a picture with the award that the Brazilian shared on social media, Valverde named him as the next Ballon d’Or winner.
He wrote, “The next Ballon d’Or.”
Ballon d’Or: Valverde names favourite player to win award this year