The former Real Madrid and FC Barcelona player from Brazil, Ronaldo Nazario, discussed the Ballon d’Or and this Sunday’s Clasico in La Liga.
Ronaldo Nazario reveals what the El Classico means to him
Having represented both sides of El Classico he spoke in an interview with the DAZN broadcast network. “The Clasico is the most significant game in football history. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are two teams that I expect the Spaniards to be really proud of, and I imagine that they take great pride in how healthy and beautiful their rivalry is,” Ronaldo stated.
The former Inter Milan striker has won the Ballon d’Or twice in his career. He did so in the years of 1997 and 2002. As someone who knows how it is done, he spoke about the award. Declaring that Karim Benzema would win the Ballon d’Or with certainty. “There is absolutely no chance he will lose, in my opinion. His statistics are outstanding, and the Champions League is in his favour. Could there be more winners? Yes, but Benzema’s actions from last year stand out significantly from those of the others,” he exclaimed.
He sees Kylian Mbappé of PSG, Erling Haaland of Manchester City, and Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid as the clear favourites to win this award in the foreseeable future. “Mbappé and Haaland are two outstanding players who are still extremely young and have a bright future. They are undoubtedly the two, together with Vinicius, in my opinion, who may win the Ballon d’Or in the future,” the former striker stated.
El Fenomeno concludes by expressing his optimism that football will advance further and that the racism currently present in some stadiums would eventually be completely eradicated. “Racism excludes and kills. Unfortunately, racism is still prevalent in today’s globe. We want football to be a player in this space and to adapt alongside the populace. So that they recognise the need for change,” he said.
