Vinicius Junior 'has to be firm favourite' for the Ballon d'Or after won UCL

Pundits believe that Vinicius Junior has to be a 'firm favourite' for this year's Ballon d'Or, following his starring role in Real Madrid's Champions League victory.

Carlo Ancelotti's side saw off Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley on Saturday night, with the Brazilian getting the second of Real's goals.

Thierry Henry believes that Vinicius Junior is 'the best player in the world' right now, and others agree that he is surely a likely winner of this year's award, which is awarded in the autumn by France Football.

Post-match, Ancelotti said: 'Vini Jr deserves the Ballon d’Or. I’ve no doubts'.

He is only the second player in history have scored in multiple Champions League finals before turning 24 years old - and the other one was Lionel Messi.

Henry said 'For me, Viní Jr. is the best player in the world.'

Jamie Carragher concurred, noting: 'I think Vinicius Junior is the best player in the world.'

Steve McManaman told TNT Sports: 'He has to be firm favourite now. He scored, he was excellent in the two semi-finals against Bayern Munich.

'He was the catalyst, scored again tonight. And he must be favourite. Kylian [Mbappe], Harry Kane, had wonderful seasons, but personally, he's the nailed-on favourite now.'

For his part, Vinicius Junior has no plans to leave the successful Real Madrid camp, revealing after the game: 'Let's see if the president sees this interview and renews me again.

'I want to make history here like Toni [Kroos], Luka [Modric], [Dani] Carvajal or Nacho.'