Ronaldo believes that Vinícius deserved the Ballon d'Or more than Rodri.

Ronaldo praised Vinícius' performance with Real Madrid last season, and the Portuguese legend, currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, affirmed that the Brazilian star, Vinícius Júnior, deserved to win the Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world in 2024.

Vinícius finished second behind Spain's Rodri, the Manchester City midfielder, who won the prestigious award presented annually by the renowned French magazine France Football.

From Ronaldo's perspective, the decision to award Rodri the prize was a mistake, and Vinícius was the more deserving player.

"The Phenomenon" said in statements during the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai: "Vini had an amazing season last year, and in my opinion, he deserved to win the Ballon d'Or."

Ronaldo added, "It was unfair, and I will say that publicly."

Meanwhile, Vinícius stated that Ronaldo is his idol.Vinícius, who was also present at the event, quickly responded to Ronaldo by saying, "Cristiano is my idol alongside Neymar. If Cristiano says that, I believe him."

At the same time, Vinícius won the awards for Best Player and Best Forward in the World for 2024, presented by Globe Soccer.

Vini said, "Winning this award, for which I fought so hard, is an honor for me. I want to thank all my teammates, my family, and Flamengo, who set me on the right path."

I believe Vinícius delivered an outstanding performance with Real Madrid in the 2023–2024 season, leading his team to win La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. He scored 25 goals and provided 12 assists in 40 matches across all competitions.

Thus, he was more deserving of the Ballon d'Or than Rodri.

However, Vinícius later won the FIFA Best Men's Player Award ("The Best") for 2024, presented annually by FIFA to the best player in the world.

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