"He is worthy of being awarded as the best in the world" - Liverpool superstar endorses Vinicius Jr as candidate for 2024 Ballon d'Or

Liverpool and Brazil shot-stopper Alisson Becker backed his superstar teammate Vinicius Jr to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or. The pair are currently on national duty at the 2024 Copa America in the United States.

Vinicius enjoyed a dazzling 2023-24 club campaign with Real Madrid. With 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across all competitions, he helped Los Blancos win La Liga, Supercopa de Espana and the Champions League.

Despite his scintillating record with Real Madrid over the past few seasons, Vinicius has come under fire for his performances with the Selecao. Before the 2024 Copa America, he had bagged only three goals and five assists in 31 games for Brazil.

In the absence of record goal-scorer Neymar, the 23-year-old has been Brazil's go-to man in attack at the tournament. He scored twice in their 4-1 win over Paraguay but failed to make an impact in the other two group games (0-0 vs Costa Rica, 1-1 vs Colombia).

Despite misfiring at the tournament, Vinicius remains one of the frontrunners for the Ballon d'Or, alongside club teammate Jude Bellingham. His status as one of the best forwards in the world was validated by Alisson, who said (via Madrid Universal):

"The last game [against Paraguay] was a demonstration of what heacan do. We know the ability he has, what he has done this season. He is worthy of being awarded as the best in the world."

Vinicius Jr set to miss Brazil's Copa America quarter-final clash against Uruguay due to yellow card suspension

Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr is set to miss their all-important Copa America 2024 quarter-final clash against 15-time winners Uruguay due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

The 23-year-old received a caution in his side's 4-1 win against Paraguay and was treading on thin ice in the final group stage game against Colombia. However, he brought winger James Rodriguez down in the seventh minute, and referee Jesus Valenzuela booked him for the offence.

Unfortunately for Brazil, the yellow cards in back-to-back games meant that Vinicius was handed a suspension for the quarterfinal. After the game, Selecao head coach Dorival Jr questioned the booking, calling it 'strange', but claimed that his side had to learn to play without their star. He said (via GOAL):

"It was very strange, the booking. It was the first challenge of the game. But people say we have to learn to play without our big stars, so now is the time. In certain moments, we won't have important players. We've already lost Neymar. It's a moment for other players to step up."

Brazil will take on Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay in a mouth-watering quarter-final clash at Nevada's Allegiant Stadium on July 5.