Vinicius Junior says he faces a long road to compete for the Ballon d Or, as he tipped team-mate Karim Benzema to be named the world s best player this year.
Vinicius scored the only goal of the game as Real Madrid beat Liverpool to win their 14th Champions League title in May, having also played a key role in Los Blancos dominant La Liga triumph.
The Brazilian scored 22 goals and recorded 16 assists in all competitions during the 2021-22 season, the latter figure representing a team-high total and one bettered only by Thomas Muller (22), Kylian Mbappe (21) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (18) among players in Europe s top five leagues.
Brazil s 2002 World Cup winner Rivaldo recently tipped Vinicius to challenge for the title of the world s best as early as next year,…