Karim Benzema has said he believes former teammate Vinícius Júnior “will win the Ballon d’Or one day” after the Real Madrid forward missed out on the award last year.
Benzema, who left Madrid for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in 2023, attended Madrid’s 3-0 Spanish Supercopa semifinal win over Mallorca in Jeddah on Thursday, after visiting the team at their hotel in the city.
Vinícius finished second in the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or standings — behind Manchester City midfielder Rodri — with Madrid boycotting the Paris ceremony in protest.
“[I told Vinicius] to not take any notice,” Benzema told Marca in an interview on Saturday. “He shouldn’t lower his intensity, because he’s the best in the world, and one day he will win the Ballon d’Or.”
Benzema won the Ballon d’Or in 2022 after a season in which he led Madrid to a…
