The UCL final has just concluded Real Madrid has become champions of Europe for the 15th time. While many expected English starlet Jude Bellingham to dazzle at Wembley, it was Vinicius Jr and Dani Carvajal who made the difference. Their goals resulted in a 2-0 victory for the Los Blancos. Unknown to many is the fact that the Brazilian winger was barely fit for today’s epic clash!

As per reports on X, Vinicius Jr had a high fever for two consecutive days. In fact, he played the game today with medication. It is not yet known if the winger received the full clearance from the medical department. Yet, considering it is Real Madrid’s final game of the season, it is likely that Carlo Ancelotti would have played Vinicius anyway.

Despite his goal, today’s match was not easy at all for Vinicius Jr and his teammates. Dortmund had a flurry of chances in the first leg and could easily have been 2-0 up. On the other hand, Real Madrid found the German defense quite hard to break down. It took a pinpoint cross from Toni Kroos to Dani Carvajal in the 74th minute to open the scoreline. Soon after, it was all the Vincius Jr show.

The Brazilian embarked on some mazy dribbles and set up an easy chance for teammate Jude Bellingham who shockingly missed. The Englishman did return the favor and Vinicius Jr slotted it emphatically past the goalkeeper in the 83rd minute. This is the Brazilian winger’s second UCL final goal after his match-winning effort against Liverpool in 2022. Moreover, his display has raised another question.

Has Vinicius Jr cemented himself as the Ballon d’Or favorite?

In the odds for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, the top names were Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappe. All of them boasted incredible numbers with Bellingham already scooping the La Liga POTY award. But, this performance in the grandest stage of them all could tilt in the Brazilian’s favor. After all, he has already earned comparisons to Messi and Ronaldo previously.

Yet for Vinicius Jr, individual prizes have never been a priority. His agent had said previously, “He is intelligent and knows where he wants to go. His goal is not to win the Ballon d’Or, but to win trophies.” It looks like Vini will continue to add to his trophies. Next season, Kylian Mbappe is expected to arrive at the Bernabeu. With Vinicius and Mbappe on the flanks, Champions League hopes for other teams could be over before they even get started.