Real Madrid legend claims Man City star will win Ballon d’Or, says award has ‘no place’ | OneFootball

The world of football has its eyes on the Theatre du Chatelet where, in the next few hours, the next Ballon d’Or winner will be crowned.

Up until earlier today, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. was the overwhelming favourite to take home the individual accolade and be crowned the best player in the world.

Recent reports, however, have suggested that Manchester City’s Rodri has overtaken the Brazilian winger and will now pick up the award later tonight.

The news understandably has not gone down well in Madrid where the delegation instantly cancelled their trip to Paris in a mark of protest.

Toni Kroos has his say

In the buildup to the Ballon d’Or Gala, Real Madrid legend and Vinicius’ former teammate Toni Kroos was asked to give his two cents on the close race.

“Rodri will win the Ballon d’Or,” he began calmly as revealed by Fabrizio Romano.

He then went on to state that the award has never been about merit, thus hinting that the Manchester City star is not a deserved winner.

“I’ve never seen the importance of these individual awards in football, they have no place.”

Sources close to France Football have come out to state that the winner has not been revealed to any player, coach or media outlet yet and that all news on the media is just hearsay.

Now, it remains to be seen which player is placed at the pinnacle of football for last season and whether Vinicius can miraculously walk away with the award in a few hours.

Last season, the Brazilian winger led Los Blancos to the UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles, especially stepping up in the final leg of the season where every game was a must-win.