Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior has been named Player of the Year at the FIFA Best Awards.
The 24-year-old winger notably skipped the recent Ballon d’Or awards alongside Real Madrid after being passed over in favor of Manchester City’s Rodri.
However, Vinicius accepted this prestigious honor during the ceremony in Doha.
Vinicius was instrumental in Real Madrid’s successful 2023/24 season, which saw them win both the Champions League and La Liga titles.
He contributed 24 goals and 11 assists throughout the season.
Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati also had a night to celebrate, winning the Player of the Year award for the second year in a row, while Carlo Ancelotti and Emma Hayes were both named Coach of the Year.
For Vinicius, this is the first ever FIFA Best award and a positive highlight of a season that previously saw the boycott of the Ballon d’Or in October.
The best moment for Real Madrid. ⚪️✨ pic.twitter.com/gPLtcZ7eVP
– Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 17, 2024
The FIFA Best Awards and the Ballon d’Or are widely considered to be the two most prestigious individual awards in football.
Lionel Messi had won the FIFA “Best Player” award in the previous two years, Robert Lewandowski in the two years before that.
This year’s award, which recognized achievements from August 2023 to August 2024, was determined through a voting process evenly divided between four groups: public fans, journalists (one per country) and national team captains and managers. Each group’s votes accounted for 25% of the final decision.
Vinicius’ Real Madrid teammates were already in Qatar preparing for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca, scheduled to take place at the Lusail Stadium on Wednesday.
Men’s Team of the Year
The FIFPro Men’s World XI consisted of five Premier League stars as well as five Real Madrid players, including the recently retired Toni Kroos, and a Barcelona representative.
The full lineup included:
- goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
- defender: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), William Lintasa (Arsenal), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid)
- midfielder: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Rodri (Manchester City)
- Forward: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).
