Former Barcelona star Neymar backs Vinicius Jr in Ballon d'Or race
Former Barcelona star Neymar Jr is in no doubt over who should win the 2024 Ballon d'Or award as the ceremony comes into view on October 28.
The list of nominees will be cut down on the night, with the likelihood of a straight battle between Manchester City's midfield lynchpin Rodri and Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior.
Rodri is currently back in Madrid recovering from knee surgery, after winning a fourth successive Premier League title at the end of last season and playing a crucial role in Spain's Euro 2024 glory.
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Vinicius Jr put his foot on the clutch at the key moments for Los Blancos in 2023/24, with a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double, and 24 goals scored in all competitions.
Neymar was asked about his view on who should win the award - which he infamously never managed to do - and his full support is behind his fellow Brazilian.
"He had a great season, he played a lot of games and I will support him because he will definitely win the Ballon d'Or", as per reports from Mundo Deportivo.
"There is no one better, he's an idol for us all.
"I hope he returns to Brazil soon with the trophy, he's a guy who deserves it because he's a fighter, who suffered a lot throughout his life.
"He was able to exceed all expectations and overcome all the criticism."
Ballon d'Or nominees 2024
The nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2024 were announced on a L'Equipe live stream at 18:20 CET (12:20 ET/17:20 BST) on Wednesday, September 4.
List of Ballon d'Or 2024 nominees
Player Club National team Jude Bellingham Real Madrid England Ruben Dias Manchester City Portugal Phil Foden Manchester City England Federico Valverde Real Madrid Uruguay Emiliano Martinez Aston Villa Argentina Erling Haaland Manchester City Norway Nico Williams Athletic Club Spain Granit Xhaka Bayer Leverkusen Switzerland Artem Dovbyk Roma* Ukraine Toni Kroos Real Madrid** Germany Vinicius Junior Real Madrid Brazil Dani Olmo Barcelona*** Spain Florian Wirtz Bayer Leverkusen Germany Martin Odegaard Arsenal Norway Mats Hummels Borussia Dortmund**** Germany Rodri Manchester City Spain Harry Kane Bayern Munich England Declan Rice Arsenal England Vitinha PSG Portugal Cole Palmer Chelsea England Dani Carvajal Real Madrid Spain Lamine Yamal Barcelona Spain Bukayo Saka Arsenal England Hakan Calhanoglu Inter Milan Turkey William Saliba Arsenal France Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid***** France Lautaro Martinez Inter Milan Argentina Ademola Lookman Atalanta Nigeria Antonio Rudiger Real Madrid Germany Alejandro Grimaldo Bayer Leverkusen Spain
*Transferred from Girona in August 2024
**Retired from football in July 2024
***Transferred from RB Leipzig in August 2024
****Became a free agent after leaving Dortmund in June 2024
*****Transferred to Real Madrid after leaving PSG in July 2024
When is 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony?
The 2024 Ballon d'Or gala is due to be held on Monday, October 28, 2024 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
The ceremony is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).
