Arsenal star backs his Brazilian teammate Vinicius to win the Ballon d'Or.
Arsenal forward Martinelli has backed his compatriot Vinicius Jr to win the Ballon d'Or following his impressive season in which he won the league title and Champions League with Real Madrid.
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Vinicius’s impressive campaign
The 23-year-old winger has had a sensational season with Los Blancos; the individual awards are trickling in for him, and it could culminate in the Ballon d'Or.
Despite struggling with injury at the start of the campaign, the Brazil international came back strongly and led Real Madrid to glory in the league, UCL, and Supercopa de Espana.
He scored 24 goals and registered 11 assists, totalling 35 goal contributions in 39 games this season, one behind Real Madrid's goal contributions leader, Jude Bellingham’s 36.
He has been named the Champions League Player of the Season and made the UCL and LALIGA's teams of the season.
What Martinelli said
Speaking in a press conference as Brazil prepare for the coming Copa America, Martinelli expressed his pride in having Vinicius as a teammate and tipped him for France Football's big prize.
"Of course, it is a great pride to be playing with him. Experiencing day-to-day life, seeing the special and deserving boy he is. I'm very happy to be Brazilian and see Vini shining,” Vinicius said.
“In my opinion, he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. It's a pleasure to share the field with him."
Martinelli and Vinicius will try to depose Argentina as champions of the South American continent in the coming Copa America, hosted in the United States.
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