Brazilian legend, Rivaldo, has named his countryman, Vinicius, as his favourite player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2023.

Rivaldo believes the Real Madrid star is on the right path to winning the Ballon d’Or next year, adding that he doesn’t see him below the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne or others.

Vinicius had a wonderful outing last season with Real Madrid.

The 21-year-old was one of the top performers in Real Madrid’s squad during the campaign.

The Brazilian international contributed an impressive 22 goals and 20 assists in 52 games as Real Madrid claimed the Champions League and the Liga titles.

However, Rivaldo, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1999, expects the winger to continue taking his game forward.

“After a fantastic season with Real Madrid in which he became one of the Champions League final’s star men by scoring the winner, I can only expect that Vini Jr. keeps improving.

“The season has just gone, he improved massively in terms of finishing and if he continues evolving and learning, he might become Real Madrid’s biggest star since Karim Benzema will have to retire one day,” he said.

With regard to the potential contenders for the Ballon d’Or award in 2023, Rivaldo added: “Right now, it is tough to pick a favourite above any other player to win next year’s Ballon d’Or when the season has not even started, but I don’t see him [Vinicius Junior] below the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne or others.”

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