French star Karim Benzema, a player for the Saudi club Al-Ittihad, believes that Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior can win the Ballon d'Or in the future, but he needs to focus on playing football.

Benzema said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS: "Vinicius is a very good young man, with a big heart, eager to learn... He is a phenomenon. That's how he is. People put a lot of pressure on him. There are players who shouldn't be subjected to that much pressure."

He added: "Vinicius is still young, but he has played many matches with Real Madrid. What he has done cannot be forgotten. It cannot be said that he is in a bad situation now. That would be unfair. He is very good, but he can deliver even more."

Regarding Vinicius's anger in the Clasico after being substituted: "That's just his nature. He gets upset when he's taken off, which is normal. Well, he shouldn't do that, but people need to understand that's how he is. He makes gestures on and off the pitch. It's nothing. He's fine on the field; he believes he can do more, wants to touch the ball more, and then he gets substituted. He reacted because he doesn't want to leave. And that's normal. It's not a big deal."

He concluded about the possibility of Vinicius winning the Ballon d'Or: "For me, he can one day win the Ballon d'Or. He can do it. It's difficult, but possible. On the day he sets his mind to being on the field just to play and leaves everything else aside, he will win it. He has the quality and is in the best place to achieve it, Real Madrid. There is no better place."