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Former Real Madrid forward Joselu has thrown a surprise name in contention for the upcoming Ballon d'Or. The prestigious individual award is given to the best player in the world last season.
However, Joselu has picked his former teammate Dani Carvajal as the recipient of the award. The 34-year-old spoke to AS about who he thinks should win the Ballon d'Or.
Joselu named four Real Madrid players as contenders before hand-picking Carvajal out of them.
"The Ballon d'Or? There are four candidates imo: Carvajal, Bellingham, Vinicius and Mbappe," said Carvajal.
"I would give it to Carvajal, without a doubt. He has won all the titles last season, he scored in the Champions League final. All this while playing as a defender," he added.
Joselu spent last season on loan at Los Blancos, over a decade since debuting for the club. He played for Real Madrid Castilla between 2009 and 2011 before scoring in his solitary appearance for the senior team the following season. His journey took him to Germany and England before he moved back to Spain with Alaves and then Espanyol.
He helped Carlo Ancelotti's side do the Champions League and LaLiga double last season. He has since moved to Qatar Stars League club Al-Gharafa.
"Ballon d'Or should recognise defenders" - Former Real Madrid forward Joselu
In the interview with AS, Joselu shared his thoughts on the Ballon d'Or. Despite being a striker himself, the 34-year-old highlighted that defenders should be given more recognition and hence, he picked Carvajal as his choice for the award.
"I think that the Ballon d’Or should recognise this [defenders] and pay more attention to these footballers who, like him [Carvajal], are almost in danger of extinction," Joselu said.
"We only have eyes for the forwards, for those who score a lot of goals. But playing as a defender for Real Madrid is a great achievement and deserves recognition," added the forward.
Last season, Dani Carvajal won the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga with Los Blancos. In the summer, he helped Spain with the 2024 European Championships, establishing his credentials for the Ballon d'Or.
One of Real Madrid's trio of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr., and Kylian Mbappe are the frontrunners for the award alongside Manchester City's Rodri, who was named the best player of the 2024 European Championships. The Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled to be held in Paris on October 8.
