Real Madrid and Brazilian winger, Vinicius Jr has been voted the men’s player of the year at the 2024 FIFA Best Awards.
Recall that Vinicius Jr and his club chose to boycott the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony as Manchester City’s Rodri won it ahead of him. However, he attended the FIFA Best Awards ceremony in Doha earlier today, December 17.
Vinicius played a pivotal role in Real Madrid’s success during the 2023-2024 season, contributing 24 goals and 11 assists, which were crucial in their victories in both the Champions League and La Liga.
This marks Vinicius Junior’s first FIFA Best award victory, following Lionel Messi’s victories in the previous two years and Robert Lewandowski’s win in 2020.
Note that the award is based on performances from August 2023 to August 2024 and is determined by a combination of public votes, one journalist from each country, and the votes from the captain and manager of each national team, with each segment counting for 25%.
The 2024 FIFA Best Awards took place on the same day Real Madrid arrived in Qatar to prepare for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca at Lusail Stadium.
Other major winners at the 2024 FIFA Best Awards
Aitana Bonmati from Barcelona was recognized as the women’s player of the year for a consecutive year.
In the men’s team of the year, five players were selected from the Premier League, alongside five from Real Madrid (including retired legend Toni Kroos) and one from Barcelona.
The selected players included Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Jude Bellingham, and Kroos (all Real Madrid), along with Rodri and Erling Haaland (both Man City), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), and Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid).
Emiliano Martinez won the Goalkeeper of the Year for his invaluable contributions to Argentina’s triumph in the Copa America.
The prestigious Puskas Award for the best men’s goal of the year was awarded to Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho for his stunning bicycle kick in a 3-0 victory over Everton in November 2023. His spectacular goal was previously recognized as the Premier League’s goal of the season.
In a notable development, a new Marta Award was introduced to honor exceptional performances in women’s football.
The Coach of the Year award was presented to Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid, who skillfully guided the team to win both the Champions League and La Liga titles in the previous season. This marked the first time the 65-year-old Italian received the award, which has been recognizing outstanding coaches since 2016.