Eric Garcia mocks Vinicius Jr’s chances of winning Ballon d’Or

Cameron Smith

• 22 Mar 2022 16:10 CDT
• 3 min read

Barcelona ran out 4-0 winners in El Clasico at the weekend, putting a dent in Real Madrid's title charge.

However, that wasn't the only storyline to emerge from the game.

Barcelona defender Eric Garcia, who returned to his boyhood club on a free transfer last summer following a spell in England with Manchester City, mocked Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior about his chances of securing the Ballon d'Or.

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With news that French Football have changed the timings of the award from a calendar year award to a footballing season award, Vinicius' chances improved massively.

The Brazilian has been on fire this campaign, netting 17 goals and 14 assists in all competitions so far. Before this season, Vinicius had never scored more than three La Liga goals in a campaign, but he's already notched up 14 this time around.

His improvement has drawn plenty of plaudits towards him, and talk of a Ballon d'Or, although small, has appeared.

But, Garcia mocked this in Barcelona's El Clasico win. Without Karim Benzema, Vinicius was Los Blancos' biggest threat, so the Spanish defender, along with head coach Xavi and centre-back partner Gerard Pique tried to rile him up.

What was said?

Garcia, 21, said: "You next year for the Ballon d'Or, yes, the Ballon d'Or," in an attempt to anger Vinicius and ensure he lost focus on the matter at hand.

Whether it directly worked or not didn't matter as Barca ran out winners in a huge clash at the top of La Liga.

Barcelona are now 12 points behind Real Madrid, with a game in hand, but a title charge does seem a little far-fetched.

As for the Ballon d'Or, Vinicius' team-mate Benzema looks to be a better bet for that award.