‘It has to come naturally’ – Vinicius Junior on winning the Ballon d’Or and Karim Benzema influence

Vinicius Junior believes he needs time “to evolve” before winning the Ballon d’Or, playing down his chances of winning the prestigious football award in the short-term.

Vinicius played a pivotal role in Real Madrid’s La Liga and Champions League double last season, establishing himself as one of the team’s star players. He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final.

“It’s [the Ballon d’Or] something that has to come naturally,” Vinicius told Que Papinho. “Karim is 35 years old and now he will win it, Modric won it at 33.

“I have many years to evolve, a very long road for me, and if God wants me to win it one day.”

The 21-year-old is set to play a key role for Brazil at the 2022 Qatar World Cup which takes place in November.

Brazil have had a relatively disappointing run in the FIFA World Cup, after being knocked out at the quarter-final stage in three of the last four tournaments and they last won the tournament in 2002.

Vinicius thinks he’s not yet a role model and will leave others to decide if he’s among the best players in the world.

“I’m only 21 years old,” added Vinicius. “I want to follow players like Karim, [Luka] Modric, Marcelo, who won five Champions League titles.

“I want to get as close to them as possible. That’s when someone can call me that [a role model].

“Benzema repays the affection I have for him. He was a player I followed for a long time. I’m a big fan and being able to play with him today is incredible.

“He recently in an interview put me in his top five in the world so I’m really happy.”

Benzema is expected to be among the contenders for the 2022 Ballon d’Or, following his impressive 2021-22 campaign for Real Madrid’s second all-time top scorer. Cristiano Ronaldo is the club’s record scorer.

The results of the Ballon d’Or will be based on results of a season rather than a calendar year for the first time in the history of the award.

The nominees will be announced on August 12, with the ceremony taking place on October 17 in Paris.