Vinicius Junior named FIFA Best Player after Ballon d’Or snub

Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior has been crowned the Men’s Player of the Year at the FIFA Best Awards.

The 24-year-old winger, along with Real Madrid, notably skipped the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony after being overlooked in favour of Manchester City’s Rodri.

However, Vinicius took home this prestigious honour during the ceremony held in Doha.

Vinicius was instrumental in Real Madrid’s successful 2023-24 season, where they claimed both the Champions League and La Liga titles.

Across the campaign, he contributed 24 goals and 11 assists.

Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati also had a night to celebrate, as she retained the Women’s Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year, while Carlo Ancelotti and Emma Hayes were both recognised as the best coaches of the year.

For Vinicius, this marks his first-ever FIFA Best award and adds a positive highlight to a season that previously included the Ballon d’Or boycott 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 regarded as the two most prestigious individual honours in football.

Lionel Messi had won the FIFA Best award in the previous two years, with Robert Lewandowski winning it in the two years prior.

This year’s award, which recognised performances from August 2023 to August 2024, was determined through a voting process split evenly across four groups: public fans, journalists (one per country), and the captains and managers of national teams. Each group’s vote accounted for 25% of the final decision.

Vinicius’ Real Madrid team-mates were already in Qatar preparing for their FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca, set to take place at Lusail Stadium on Wednesday.

Men’s Team of the Year

The FIFPro Men’s World XI featured five Premier League stars alongside five Real Madrid players, including the recently retired Toni Kroos, and one Barcelona representative.

The full lineup included:

• Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
• Defenders: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
• Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Rodri (Manchester City)
• Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).