Lothar Matthaus shocks Vinicius in the Ballon d'Or clash

  Lothar Matthäus, the German football legend, believes that Manchester City midfielder Rodri deserves the Ballon d'Or at the expense of Vinicius Junior and Judd Bellingham.

Matthews said: " For me, Rodri deserves the Ballon d'Or more than Vinicius, as he won the Euro and was a mainstay in the national team, and also won the English Premier League. He is the most prominent player this year.

He added: "Bellingham, like Vinicius, won the Champions League and the Spanish League, and was one of the most prominent Euro players, but for me, the order of the Ballon d'Or is Rodri, Bellingham, and Vinicius."

He concluded: “Vinicius winning the Ballon d’Or will not be a surprise to me, as he scored important goals, and also won La Liga and the Champions League, which justifies the possibility of winning the Ballon d’Or.”

The Spanish newspaper "Marca" had confirmed that Vinicius had been informed that he had won the Ballon d'Or, noting that the ceremony would take place on October 28 in the French capital, Paris.