Real Madrid News
Real Madrid icon backs two current stars to win the Ballon d’Or in the future
In his four-year spell at Real Madrid, Clarence Seedorf made a significant impact on the field. The Dutch legend is widely seen as one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the game for his finesse and dominance on the ball, and his spell at the Santiago Bernabeu exemplified it.
The former player won one Champions League trophy and a La Liga title during his stint in Spain, but eventually moved to Inter Milan in January 2000.
Earlier this week, Seedorf spoke about the players in the current crop who he sees winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or in the next five years.
And the Real Madrid icon named two current Los Blancos’ stars, Vinicius Jr and Federico Valverde, as possible candidates, along with Manchester City mainstay Kevin De Bruyne.
“Three players I can see winning the Ballon d’Or in the future are Vinicius Jr, De Bruyne & Fede Valverde if he scores more goals and plays as a midfielder,” he said, as revealed by Pitchside.
It is not surprising that two of his three picks are Real Madrid stars. After all, Los Blancos’ stunning consistency in the Champions League places its players well in the race for individual awards.
Vinicius Jr has slowly, but surely, become the player in the spotlight for the Merengues in recent years. As the banner-man of the club, the chance of him lifting the trophy soon is significantly higher than the others on the list.
Valverde, meanwhile, could emulate Luka Modric’s path and become one of the few midfielders to win the Ballon d’Or. After all, playing in the middle of the park does not limit him from making a profound impact in front of the goal.
Florentino Perez has built an impeccable team that can dominate world football for at least the next decade. Players like Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga and Valverde form a strong foundation, and Kylian Mbappe’s potential arrival would be the perfect cherry on the cake.
Real Madrid youngster Endrick continues to attract interest from several clubs ahead of another potential loan move in the upcoming January transfer window.
The latest side considering a move for the Brazilian forward is Aston Villa.
Indeed, according to reports relayed by Bernabeu Digital, the Premier League club are interested in signing the Real Madrid striker on loan in January.
No minutes for Endrick
Endrick has had very limited opportunities under Jose Mourinho this season. Across Real Madrid’s nine matches in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, the Brazilian has played just four minutes, coming on in the 86th minute against Elche.
Such limited playing time has left the young forward struggling to gain the minutes and experience needed to develop his talent at Real Madrid.
As such, another loan move, like last January when he left for Olympique Lyon, could offer him a chance to play more regularly and continue his progression.
Aston Villa, managed by Unai Emery, have now emerged as an interested party to acquire the Brazilian international’s services on loan for the second half of the season.
AC Milan also interested in Endrick
Howver, Aston Villa are not the only club monitoring Endrick’s situation. AC Milan have also renewed their interest in the Brazilian forward.
The Rossoneri already held an interest in the 20-year-old forward during the summer transfer window and are knocking on the doors once again now.
In fact, some reports in Italy even go on to suggest that the youngster is ready to pounce on the opportunity to sign for the Serie A giants.
For now, however, there have been no concrete developments or formal approaches from any interested club.
Real Madrid are understood to be open to allowing Endrick to leave on loan, but they are not considering a permanent sale as they still have a lot of faith in the promising attacker whom they signed from Palmeiras.
With Aston Villa and AC Milan both interested, the coming months could prove important in determining where the young Brazilian will continue his development.
