“It will happen the day he understands he’s on the pitch solely to play” - Karim Benzema explains what Vinicius must do to win Ballon d’Or

Karim Benzema believes his former Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr. can win the Ballon d’Or someday, but only if he learns to focus solely on the game.

Vinicius came close to winning the Ballon d’Or in 2024 but was beaten to the award by Manchester City midfielder Rodri. While the Brazilian winger’s talents are undeniable, he has a reputation for being a provocative player who frequently engages in confrontations with opponents, referees, and fans.

In 2022, France Football explicitly included 'class and fair play' as an official criterion to win the Ballon d’Or, meaning a player’s behavior would be considered during the evaluation process for the award. In fact, after Vini lost the individual accolade to Rodri, many claimed the Real Madrid winger missed out because of his on-the-pitch antics.

During an interview with Diario AS, Benzema stated that Vinicius has the 'quality' to win football’s biggest individual accolade, adding that he is in the best place to win it. When asked if he still sees Vini as a potential Ballon d’Or winner, Benzema responded:

"I think he might win the Ballon d'Or someday. He can do it. It's difficult, but he can. It will happen the day he understands that he's on the pitch solely to play and leaves everything else behind. He can win it. He has the quality and he's in the best place to do it, at Real Madrid. There's no better place."

Benzema's advice could prove useful for Vinicius, as the French striker won the coveted award in 2022 after a remarkable campaign with Real Madrid.

"What he's done in Paris is very important" - Karim Benzema on Ousmane Dembele winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or

In the same interview, Benzema admitted that Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele deserved to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or, noting that his compatriot scored a lot of goals at important and decisive moments.

"He's [Dembele] put some very tough times behind him," Benzema said. "He's a good person, a phenomenon, a great player. What he's done in Paris is very important. He won the Ballon d'Or in Paris because he scored a lot of goals, but at important, decisive moments. He deserved it."

Dembele beat Barcelona teenager star Lamine Yamal to the award in September, winning it for the first time and becoming the second PSG player to win it after Lionel Messi. The Frenchman played a key role in PSG's treble triumph, scoring 35 goals and providing 16 assists across all competitions.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide