On June 29, in the second round of Copa América group matches, Brazil defeated Paraguay 4-1. Following the game, Brazilian media TNT Sports heaped praise on Vinícius Jr., who scored two goals and seemingly positioned himself for the Ballon d’Or.
After a quiet debut match, Vinícius Jr. responded to critics with a full 90-minute performance, registering 55 touches, 20 passes with 14 accurate, creating two goal-scoring chances, taking three shots with two on target for two goals, and attempting 17 dribbles with seven successful ones.
This week, several reports suggested that Vinícius Jr. is currently the frontrunner for the prestigious award, ahead of players like Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, and Kylian Mbappé.
Do you think Vinícius Jr.’s performance in this match has truly made winning the Ballon d’Or a certainty?