The Ballon d'Or ceremony is around the corner and it is more than likely that Vinicius Jr will be one lifting the trophy next week. There are many who doubt whether he would be the right pick for the prize. Some would like to see his Real Madrid teammate, Dani Carvajal, after not only lifting the Champions League last season but also the EUROs with Spain. On the other hand, plenty believe Rodri of Manchester City deserves it the most.
Vinicius might have put all those debates to rest though, just a week before the ceremony. Of course, his performance will not have an effect on the result but it does show that he is most probably the best player in the world right now.
It was a repeat of last season's Champions League final. And it looked like Borussia Dortmund were going to walk out with the win this time, having taken a 2-0 lead.
Real Madrid turned things around after the break though. They scored five goals in the second half. Three of those came from Vinicius as he scored a hattrick under the bright lights of the Champions League, the competition where he seems to be at his very best. That's what truly great players do.
Vinicius Jr ends Ballon d'Or debate with hattrick for Real Madrid vs Dortmund
That hattrick takes Vinicius' tally to eight goals for the season. He also has seven assists to his name, and now seems to be in full flow after a slow start as he took some time to adjust to playing with Kylian Mbappe in the same starting XI.
Of course, many might not have predicted Vinicius' rise to these levels back when he was struggling to finish simple chances at Real Madrid a few years back. But that does not mean that anybody can deny the player that he has become today.
The Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo dominance over the Ballon d'Or comes to its conclusion this weekend. Expect to see Vinicius be the one lifting the most prized individual award in football in Paris. He deserves it.