Militao is clear that Vini deserves the Ballon d'Or

Madrid's Eder Militao said on Tuesday at the Brazil national team training camp that he would give the Ballon d'Or to his compatriot Vinicius. "The Ballon d'Or, without a doubt, for Vini," said the defender at a press conference in Orlando, United States, where the Canarinha are preparing for their Copa America opener against Costa Rica on the 24th.
The 26-year-old singled out his compatriot for the award. Vini, after winning La Liga and the Champions League, is one of the favourites for the award, as are Madrid team-mates Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham. The defender also shared with journalists how difficult it was to recover from the rupture of the cruciate ligament in his left knee, which left him "seven months out of action".
"It was a very difficult time because you are used to a routine and suddenly you have one of the worst injuries you can have. You have to be very strong (mentally); at the beginning I always wondered why it happened to me," he said. He thanked his family and club for their support in "turning the situation around" and being able to recover in time to be at the Copa America in the United States.
Militao expressed his gratitude to "Jaime", a Madrid physiotherapist, who gave him support and helped him "a lot" during the long period of convalescence. "I always told him that my goal was to come back well, regardless of the time, because I wanted to be at the Copa America. My thoughts were on the Copa America," he confessed.
He said he is aware that he is still "coming out of injury" and that he needs "patience" to get into the starting XI of Dorival Junior's national team, who will reportedly go for Marquinhos and Lucas Beraldo, team-mates at PSG, as his centre-back pairing. Brazil will make their Copa America debut on the 24th against Costa Rica in Los Angeles, and then face Paraguay and Colombia in Group D.