‘Extraordinary’ Vinicius Jr favourite for Ballon d’Or

After starting with a tap-in to level the scores, Vinicius Jr’s last two strikes against Dortmund were something special.

At 3-2, with the threat of a Dortmund equaliser hanging over Real Madrid, he picked up the ball in his own half, raced down the left beating Emre Can with pure pace and fired a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

He completed his hat-trick in stoppage time, this time running from 40 yards out, beating three defenders, and hammering a strike into the roof of the net.

He then celebrated by removing his shirt, sprinting to the home fans who chanted “Ballon D’or – Vinicius Ballon D’or”.

After the match, Vinicius Jr told Spanish news outlet Movistar: “It’s a dream made reality when our fans chant my name, I want to keep rewarding them with more and more goals.

“I’m 24 and I want to stay with Madrid forever. I want to give everything back to a club which has given me so much.”