The list of the 30 candidates to win the Ballon d'Or has come to light and the reactions haven't taken long to appear. Maldini, a popular journalist from Spain, has quickly spoken on his YouTube channel. He has been clear and forceful, reviewing three key cases in Real Madrid that could spark a lot of discussion.
Meanwhile, Madrid has three players nominated to win the award: Vinícius Júnior, Bellingham, and Mbappé. He has specifically talked about them, being particularly harsh with the Brazilian forward.
"I don't mind saying it as many times as necessary, I think that Vinícius Júnior should've won the Ballon d'Or the season Rodri won it. I think that I don't see him among the top ten, I don't think he'll be there. He lost the opportunity he deserved last season. Now if he makes it to the top ten, it'll be very close," Maldini said.
Mbappé, the best in Real Madrid
He didn't stop there, as he continued: "The season of Jude Bellingham hasn't been good. He's on this list of 30 and he's one of those who could be left out for Kimmich to come in. He has been well below his level, he's here for what he means as a player, but his season... If everything is normal, he has to be between 20th and 30th. I don't see him any higher."
Finally, regarding Real Madrid, Maldini concluded: "Mbappé was the Golden Boot, but he hasn't won any of the important titles. He won the Intercontinental and the UEFA Super Cup. But of the truly big ones: neither Champions League, nor La Liga, nor Copa del Rey. I see him between 5th and 6th."
The 30 Ballon d'Or finalists
- Lamine Yamal (Spain)
- Pedri (Spain)
- Fabián Ruiz (Spain)
- Cole Palmer (England)
- Harry Kane (England)
- Declan Rice (England)
- Jude Bellingham (England)
- Lautaro Martínez (Argentina)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)
- Nuno Mendes (Portugal)
- João Neves (Portugal)
- Vitinha (Portugal)
- Ousmane Dembélé (France)
- Michael Olise (France)
- Desiré Doué (France)
- Kylian Mbappé (France)
- Virgil Van Dijk (Netherlands)
- Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands)
- Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
- Raphinha (Brazil)
- Florian Wirtz (Germany)
- Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
- Erling Haaland (Norway)
- Scott McTominay (Scotland)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia)
- Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden)
Anger in Real Madrid
After a year in which Vinícius Júnior clearly deserved to win the Ballon d'Or, in Madrid they're very angry with the organization. Now, there are only three players nominated from the white club, with important absences such as Fede Valverde. It's surprising that the Uruguayan isn't included, while others like McTominay or Guirassy are.
What Real Madrid is certain about is that, barring an unexpected turn, it'll stay home again at the next Ballon d'Or gala. The treatment isn't understood and the anger is widespread around Santiago Bernabéu.