The Ballon d’Or ceremony is set for this month, and as it approaches, no clear frontrunner has emerged for the prestigious award. However, Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique shared his thoughts on who he believes deserves the honor during an interview with TNT Sports Brazil.
While this year’s Ballon d’Or lacks a definitive favorite, both Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham stand out as strong candidates, thanks to their contributions that helped Real Madrid clinch the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga titles last season.
Despite their impressive performances, neither player added any further trophies over the summer to bolster their chances. Bellingham did reach the UEFA Euro 2024 final, while Brazil faced an early exit in the knockout stages.
Although Enrique isn’t particularly fond of individual accolades, he expressed a desire tosee the Brazilian star from Real Madrid take home the award.
“Who’s going to win it? Do you guys know? I hope it’s Vinícius Júnior, a Brazilian,” Enrique told the Brazilian media outlet. “He’d deserve it, for sure. But honestly, as a coach, I don’t really care much about these individual awards. I don’t believe in them at all.
“They’re just part of the marketing. Yeah, they recognize a player who’s done well, scored a lot, and won titles, but without the team, a player is nothing. So, congrats to whoever wins, whether it’s Vinícius or someone else, but I’ll always value the team more.
”Lionel Messi, the current Ballon d’Or holder, is backing a different candidate this year. Instead of his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé, he has chosen Lautaro Martinez, his compatriot on the Argentine national team and a standout player for Inter Milan.
Over 100 professional female footballers have united in a letter urging FIFA to terminate its sponsorship agreement with the state-owned Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco, citing the country’s “brutal human rights violations.
”The four-year partnership, established in April, will see Aramco, which is 98.5% state-owned, sponsor major events, including the men’s World Cup in 2026 and the Women’s World Cup in 2027. Critics argue that Saudi Arabia is engaging in “sportswashing,” attempting to improve its image through investments in sports while obscuring its dismal human rights record.
Recently, the Saudi regime has imposed lengthy prison sentences on several women after secret trials, targeting those who advocated for women’s rights on social media.
In their letter published on Monday, the athletes emphasized that young girls, who will become future players, deserve far better from the sport’s governing body than its “allyship with this nightmare sponsor.
”The signatories stated: “Saudi authorities have been spending billions in sports sponsorship to try to distract from the regime’s brutal human rights reputation, but its treatment of women speaks for itself.
“It is because we stand alongside the citizens of Saudi Arabia whose human rights are violated that we are speaking out. We don’t want to be part of covering up these violations.
“We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights, and the safe future of our planet.
“A corporation that bears glaring responsibility for the climate crisis, owned by a state that criminalizes LGBTQ+ individuals and systematically oppresses women, has no place sponsoring our beautiful game.”
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