Vinícius suffers shocking drop from 2024 second place to 17th in Ballon d'Or race

The Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, star of Real Madrid, finished 17th in the 2026 Ballon d'Or race, a notable decline compared to the 2024 edition where he secured second place behind Spain's Rodri.

Vinícius finished the season with 22 goals and 14 assists in 53 matches for Real Madrid across all competitions, playing alongside Frenchman Kylian Mbappé.

The second place in the 2024 edition was the best result achieved by the Brazilian winger in the race, for which he received his fourth nomination this year.

On the international stage, Vinícius scored four goals and provided one assist during the FIFA World Cup 2026, becoming the fifth player in the history of Brazil to score in all three group stage matches.

Despite his goal contributions with the national team in the tournament, Vinícius was unable to win his first major title with Brazil.