France Football, the organizers of the Ballon d’Or, have confirmed to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior that he will win this year’s prize, according to Marca.
The winner of the award will be revealed during an event on October 28.
Vinicius Jr is widely expected to win it, thanks to his impressive displays for the LaLiga club and Brazil in the year under review.
The 24-year-old was decisive as Los Blancos clinched their 15th Champions League, scoring six times, including the second goal in the final and provided five assists.
The last Brazilian to win the Ballon d’Or was Kaká in 2007. After that, the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly began, interrupted by the successes of Luka Modric in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022.
Vinicius Jr is up for the award alongside four of his Real team-mates: Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.