Zinedine Zidane advised Vinicius Junior to emulate two Real Madrid players in order to help him succeed.
With victories in La Liga and the Champions League last season, as well as a player of the match performance in the latter's final against Borussia Dortmund, the Brazilian has had the best 12 months of his professional career to date.
However, Rodri of Manchester City received more votes than the 24-year-old, and he lost out on winning the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
Feeling 'disrespected' by the Ballon d'Or organizers, Real Madrid declared they will skip the celebration after the outcome, which was leaked hours before the formal announcement, angered the team.
When Vinicius was 19 years old and in the middle of his debut season in Spain in 2019, he shared the tips Zidane had given him to help him become one of the greatest football players in the world, reports Sports Bible.
He remarked: "Zidane always tells me to remain composed and keep improving because he says I'll be playing there for a long time if I do that and because I've been treated so well by everyone."
"More or less like Marcelo and Casemiro, who have been there for a long time."
Vinicius may have been thinking about that advise when he posted, "I'll do it 10x if I have to," in his first message since missing out on the top Ballon d'Or title. They will not be prepared."
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