Vinicius “9 times Ballon d’Or”

Another match at the Santiago Bernabéu and another incredible Champions League comeback night for Real Madrid. Down 2-0 at halftime, the team staged a remarkable comeback thanks to a masterclass from Vinicius, who scored a hat-trick, along with goals from Rüdiger and Lucas Vázquez. Under Carlo Ancelotti’s leadership, Los Blancos turned the game around to secure another three points in the new format of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

Following a victory against Stuttgart, a defeat to Lille, and now this triumph at home against Borussia Dortmund – a rematch of the most recent Champions League final that also ended in Madrid’s favour, and with Vini on the scoresheet – the team is once again back on track in their quest for their 16th Champions League title.

Real Madrid top Barcelona for Champions League hat tricks

With a hat-trick scored at the 62nd, 86th, and 93rd minutes, Vinicius led a magical night at the Santiago Bernabéu, further solidifying his claim as a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on Monday, October 28, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France. The 24-year-old Brazilian winger continues to show up in key moments, and this performance strengthens his candidacy.

This hat-trick marked not only his first goals of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season but also a return to the scoresheet with a spectacular display against Dortmund. Additionally, with this hat-trick, Real Madrid surpassed Barcelona as the team with the most hat-tricks by its players in the history of the competition (15 for Madrid, 14 for Barcelona).

And it had famous former greats like Rio Ferdinand, commentating on English TV, with one thing in mind, Vini winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or... and he said so nine times.

And he wasn’t the only one...

To top it off, Vinicius now ranks as the seventh-highest scorer in Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League history, with 23 goals. He trails only Gento (32), Puskás (34), Di Stéfano (49), Raúl González (66), Benzema (78), and Cristiano Ronaldo (105).