Football agent Andre Cury believes Jude Bellingham was more deserving of last season’s Ballon d’Or than his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr., despite widespread support for the Brazilian star.
Vinicius, who is of African heritage through the Tikar people of Cameroon, was among the favourites for the 2023/24 award.
However, the honour went to Manchester City midfielder Rodri, following a standout season in which he helped City to domestic and European success.
In response, Real Madrid notably chose not to attend the ceremony in a show of support for Vinicius.
Despite sharing nationality with Vinicius, Cury insisted that Bellingham should have been recognised for his exceptional individual performances.
Speaking to AS, he said, “As a Brazilian, I can tell you that football is a passion, but for me the Ballon d’Or belonged to Real Madrid, but to Bellingham for a very simple reason: he’s a midfielder who works defensively, but also contributes in front of goal with 28 goals and 17 assists this season.”
Cury argued that Bellingham’s all-around impact warranted the award over both Rodri and Vinicius.
“If a midfielder hasn’t won the Ballon d’Or, when will they? It’s also a bit disproportionate because when (Luka) Modric won it, he didn’t have his stats,” he added.
He acknowledged the quality of the top contenders but maintained that Bellingham had done enough to merit the recognition. “Rodri is a great player, like Bellingham and Vinicius. Only one could win,” he said.
