Three days before the El Clasico and five days before the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Vinicius announced his presence with a stunning hat-trick against Dortmund.
“This hat-trick isn’t for winning the Ballon d’Or this year, because that’s already clear. However, it will help him win the Ballon d’Or next year,” coach Carlo Ancelotti remarked about Vinicius’s extraordinary performance.
It’s almost certain that on Monday night, during the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Vinicius’s name will be honored. Anyone who still doubts the Brazilian star just needs to look at his hat-trick against Dortmund. It wasn’t just three goals; it was magical moments and mesmerizing solo displays that showcased the beauty of football.
It has been a while since Messi and Neymar fell from their peak forms, and Mbappe has also struggled to maintain his incredible speed; the world of football has missed the beauty of solo runs from halfway. Fortunately, Vinicius continues to play that spontaneous and classic style. When a player dribbles past half the opposing team as if it were a joke to score in the intense Champions League, he deserves to be the number one star in the world.
Vinicius did this twice in the final seven minutes of the match, as his stamina and skills became a nightmare for the Dortmund players. First, in the 86th minute, Vinicius accelerated from his own half, bypassing the entire opposing defense before increasing the score to 4-2. Just a few minutes later, another intricate dribble from Vinicius near the midfield turned the Dortmund defenders into fools.
“I felt like I was seeing the ghost of Ronaldo (Brazil),” former defender Rio Ferdinand exclaimed while commentating on the match between Real Madrid and Dortmund on TNT Sports. Only an extraordinary talent could produce such unbelievable solo efforts in top-level matches.
Before these two stunning performances at the end of the game, Vinicius equalized 2-2 against Dortmund with a tap-in into an empty net. This hat-trick brought the Brazilian forward’s total to 24 goals in 59 Champions League matches.
Vinicius’s outstanding form inspired Real Madrid’s impressive comeback. They were down 0-2 before Antonio Rudiger reduced the deficit. Lucas Vazquez also contributed to the comeback with a decisive shot from a tight angle. But it was Vinicius’s special talent that stood out in a match where Real Madrid had to compensate for defensive shortcomings.
“We started the first half with low intensity, and that was a mistake. The issue wasn’t the system; it was the attitude. We corrected that in the second half,” Ancelotti said about Real Madrid’s 5-2 victory in the Champions League. Ancelotti’s team will need to tighten their defense ahead of the El Clasico against Barcelona in three days.
But it will be Barcelona that will have to worry about how to stop Vinicius. The Brazilian forward is hitting peak form and excitement. Importantly, Real Madrid’s squad has many stars who can shine in various ways. Mbappe is still dynamic and dangerous, Rodrygo is a potential game-changer, and Jude Bellingham is a threat from the back. The reality is that the victory over Dortmund was a personal explosion for Vinicius, fueled by the energy of an unpredictable attacking line.
Vinicius has perfectly kicked off a significant week for himself. Following his hat-trick against Dortmund, will he also achieve victory in the El Clasico and step onto the podium at the Ballon d’Or ceremony?