Rio Ferdinand provoked plenty of reaction online after he repeatedly chanted “Ballon d’Or” as Vinicius Junior scored in the Champions League final for Real Madrid. This was the second goal of the match, sealing a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund as Los Blancos won their record 15th title.
For as much as the actual football always is and always should be the focal point of any match, commentators do have the power to enhance the most telling moments. Peter Drury, for instance, has a whole catalogue of moments where his word choice and delivery helped elevate the action to a higher level.
As a pundit, however, it’s fair to say Ferdinand does not quite have the same gift with language. Indeed, while he was a wonderful footballer – one of Manchester United’s finest – the former England international just doesn’t quite have the same way with words as the likes of Drury or even fellow ex-footballer Ally McCoist.
This was no more obvious than in June 2024 when the pundit was covering Madrid’s win over Dortmund at Wembley. A header from Dani Carvajal had given Los Blancos a 1-0 lead before Ian Maatsen gifted the ball to Jude Bellingham on the edge of the box.
The Englishman put Vini Jr through on goal and the outcome was inevitable. Ferdinand evidently knew as much as he opted to predict the consequence of the goal with one simple repeated phrase. Instead of describing the action, he strangely shouted “Ballon d’Or” over and over.
Rio Ferdinand Makes Ballon d’Or Prediction
“Vinicius Junior has turned up”
The pundit repeated the word six times in a row without interruption. He then repeated it three more times as he finally provided a little more insight. In full, he said:
“Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or. Vinicius has just taken the Ballon d’Or.”
He then added: “Is that Ballon d’Or in the bag now? Has he gone ahead now, for the Ballon d’Or?
“He’s looked dangerous in the second half, he’s looked dangerous. And then he scores and backs it up. In the biggest moments in the Champions League this season, Vinicius Junior has turned up.”
Vinicius Junior vs Borussia Dortmund | |
|---|---|
Goals | 1 |
Expected Goals (xG) | 0.43 |
Shots on target | 1 |
Shots off target | 2 |
Accurate passes | 21/27 (78%) |
Touches | 61 |
Dribble attempts (succ.) | 13 (8) |
Ground duels (won) | 20 (12) |
Vinicius Junior Was Ballon d’Or Favourite
Rodri and Bellingham now his biggest rivals
At the time, it did seem as though Vinicius Junior would be the favourite to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or. However, after Brazil struggled at Copa America, and Spain won Euro 2024, Manchester City’s Rodri has also made a strong case for the prize.
However, a certain Real Madrid teammate can’t be ruled out of the running just yet either. Bellingham provided the assist for Vinicius during the Champions League final and has had an amazing debut season with Los Blancos, before going to the final of the Euros with England. In Bellingham’s own words, this Champions League win was “the best night” of his life.
It will be interesting to see if Ferdinand’s prediction was correct or if he was naive to make such a big call before the summer international tournaments.
Stats via SofaScore.