Vinicius Jr has been involved in 35 goals in his last 35 starts in the Champions League (20 goals, 15 assists)
Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist
Minutes after Real Madrid fans were singing for Vinicius Jr to win the Ballon d’Or, the Brazil forward insisted he wanted to “stay at the club forever”.
Vinicius Jr scored a sensational hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday to help his side come from 2-0 down to win 5-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He could not have timed his treble better with the Ballon d’Or, widely regarded as football’s most prestigious individual trophy, awarded on Monday, 28 October.
After the match, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti called Vinicius Jr “an extraordinary character” and insisted he “will win the Ballon d’Or” based off his performances last season.
The talk is that the 24-year-old is the favourite to win the prestigious accolade having led Real to a La Liga-Champions League double last season, scoring in the Champions League final and also later being named as the competition’s best player.
Off the pitch Vinicius Jr won the second ever Socrates Award last year, given to the footballer who has performed the best humanitarian work worldwide.
Many on social media feel the race for the Ballon d’Or has already been won after rumours emerged that Nike are to release special Mercurial Vinicius Jr, external golden boots two days after the ceremony.
Either way, Vinicius Jr’s performance against Dortmund in the Champions League league phase can only help his cause.
How did Vinicius Jr score his hat-trick against Dortmund?
Image source, Getty Images
Vinicius Jr scored his first Champions League hat-trick and became the third Brazilian to net a Champions League hat-trick for Real, after Ronaldo (April, 2003) and Rodrygo (November, 2019).
After starting with a tap-in to level the scores, Vinicius Jr’s last two strikes against Dortmund were something special.
At 3-2, with the threat of a Dortmund equaliser hanging over Real Madrid, he picked up the ball in his own half, raced down the left beating Emre Can with pure pace and fired a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
He completed his hat-trick in stoppage time, this time running from 40 yards out, beating three defenders, and hammering a strike into the roof of the net.
He then celebrated by removing his shirt, sprinting to the home fans who chanted “Ballon D’or – Vinicius Ballon D’or”.
After the match, Vinicius Jr told Spanish news outlet Movistar: “It’s a dream made reality when our fans chant my name, I want to keep rewarding them with more and more goals.
“I’m 24 and I want to stay with Madrid forever. I want to give everything back to a club which has given me so much.”
Who could rival Vinicius Jr for Ballon d’Or?
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City’s Rodri is seen as Vinicius’ biggest rival for the BAllon d’OR
There are 30 names on the Ballon d’Or’s shortlist, including Englishmen Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
His closest challenger appears to be defensive midfielder Rodri who helped Manchester City win the Premier League title and Spain lift the European Championship last campaign.
But, according to the UK bookies, Vinicius Jr is the odds-on favourite.
He scored 26 goals and made 12 assists in 51 appearances for club and country last season, and would become just the third person not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or since 2007.
The others are team-mate Luka Modric in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022. Not bad company that.
Will Rodri, Jude Bellingham or Vinicius Jr win the prestigious Ballon d’Or?
Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.
