"Vinicius is sad, he deserved to win the Ballon d'Or"

All eyes were on Paris on Monday as the votes for the Ballon d'Or winner were revealed. In the pools, Vinicius was the big favourite. Although ‘France Football’ had asked for discretion on the subject so as not to reveal the prizes, all the predictions pointed to the Brazilian. But in the previous hours everything changed. The decision of Real Madrid and the footballer not to attend the gala was a foretaste. Rodri was awarded the Ballon d'Or and, since then, statements on the subject have followed one after the other. The latest to speak out has been Karim Benzema in a chat for ‘El Chiringuito de Jugones’.
For the Frenchman, the deserving player was Vinicius and he defends him. "It's not just something from this year. When I was at Madrid too. Vinicius has made a great effort, it's not just about scoring goals. In the Champions League that Madrid won last season he was decisive in every game. That's why I don't think there's anyone else who deserves it more than him", Benzema began.
"I have nothing against Rodri, he's a good player. But I'm on the sofa watching TV and he doesn't do things that make me say ‘pfff...’. Vinicius has done it more than once. That's why he deserves the Ballon d'Or," added the striker, who was able to talk to his former team-mate just after learning that the award would not go to him.
It was Benzema himself who wrote to Vinicius to show his support: "I was talking to him, I wrote to him, yes. He was sad, as is normal. It's complicated, especially when everyone sees that you're the Ballon d'Or and then a few hours beforehand they tell you that you're not going to win. He's a good guy, I know he's going to work and one day he's going to win".