Karim Benzema says Vinicius Jr will win the Ballon d’Or in the near future.

The Brazilian forward narrowly missed out on receiving the prestigious award last year, with the trophy instead awarded to Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

The move drew a severe backlash from Vinicius and Real Madrid, who chose to skip the event altogether.

Benzema, who left Real Madrid for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in 2023, attended Madrid’s recent Spanish Supercopa win over Mallorca in Jeddah and met with the squad earlier in the day.

Speaking to Marca, Benzema said: “I told Vinicius not to take any notice. He should not reduce his intensity, because he is the best in the world, and one day he will win the Ballon d’Or.

While he may have missed out on a major award, Vinicius was awarded FIFA Men’s ‘The Best’ award last month.

🤩 A very special visit in Jeddah!
👉 @Benzema#SuperSuperCopa pic.twitter.com/z5JfwNZHE7

— Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 9, 2025

Life in Saudi

Benzema has been enjoying life in Saudi Arabia since leaving Madrid.

The French striker is thriving with Al Ittihad, who are top of the table ahead of Al-Hilal. The 37-year-old has scored 10 goals in 10 matches during this time.

Responding to rumors that he could retire at the end of the season, Benzema said: “I don’t know whose words they are. Nonsense. I have no limits to say that in two, three or four years I will give up football.

“I feel good. My body is fine. I’m training well and we’ll see how I feel every year.

“I want to keep winning.

“In my mind, I want to win trophies with Al Ittihad. It is difficult because the level has improved a lot and the teams are stronger, better than ever. We will continue to work, because we have not won anything yet.

While he appears happy in Saudi, when asked about a possible return to Madrid in the future, Benzema left the door open, adding: “Why not? I am in Jeddah now, and I am happy. Time will come to see how my life is and for sure I will stay close to Madrid.