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Karim Benzema says Vinicius Junior will win the Ballon d’Or in the near future.
The Brazilian striker narrowly missed out on the prestigious award last year, and the trophy was handed to Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo instead.
The move caused a serious backlash from Vinicius and Real Madrid, who decided to skip the event entirely.
Benzema, who left Real Madrid for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in 2023, attended Madrid’s recent Spanish Super Cup win against Mallorca in Jeddah and met the squad earlier in the day.
Speaking to Marca, Benzema said: “I told (Vinicius) not to pay attention to anything. He should not reduce the intensity, because he is the best in the world and one day he will win the Ballon d’Or.”
Although he may have missed out on the top prize, Vinicius was awarded the FIFA Men’s ‘Best’ award last month.
🤩 A VERY special visit to Jeddah!
👉 @Benzema#SuperSupercopa pic.twitter.com/z5JfwNZHE7— Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 9, 2025
Life in Saudi Arabia
Benzema has been enjoying life in Saudi Arabia since leaving Madrid.
The French striker has been successful with Al Ittihad, who are top of the table ahead of Al-Hilal. The 37-year-old scored 10 goals in 10 appearances along the way.
Responding to rumors that he could retire at the end of the season, Benzema said: “I don’t know whose words those are. Nonsense. I don’t have a limit to be able to say that in two, three or four years I’m leaving football.
“I feel good. My body is fine. I’m training well and we’ll see how I feel every year.”
“I want to keep winning.
“In my head I want to win the trophy with Al Ittihad. It is difficult because the level has improved a lot and the teams are strong, better than before. We will continue to work, because we haven’t won anything yet.”
Although he seems happy in Saudi Arabia, when asked about a possible return to Madrid in the future, Benzema left the door open, adding: “Why not? Now I am in Jeddah and I am happy. The time will come to see what my life is like and I will certainly be close to Madrid.”
