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.
Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly considering a move away from the club in January, as reported by Calciomercato. The 23-year-old, who joined Old Trafford in July for a fee of £36.5 million from Bologna, is said to be keen on returning to Italy.
While AC Milan no longer has interest in acquiring the Netherlands international, Juventus is among the clubs that could pursue Zirkzee. He fits the profile of the type of forward the Turin club is looking for, which could open the door for a potential transfer.
According to the Italian outlet, a loan move could materialize in January. However, it remains uncertain whether Manchester United would agree to let Zirkzee depart without securing a replacement first. His current record of one goal in 11 matches across all competitions this season has marked a challenging start to his time in England.
Zirkzee's recent struggles have also seen him lose his spot in manager Erik ten Hag's starting XI to Rasmus Højlund, who notably scored the winning goal in Saturday's 2-1 comeback victory over Brentford. As the January transfer window approaches, Zirkzee's situation at United will be closely watched, particularly given his desire to find regular playing time and potentially return to the Serie A.
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