Vinicius Junior was named FIFA’s best player after snubbing the Ballon d’Or

Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior has been crowned the best player of the year at the FIFA Best Awards.

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

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

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

During the season, he scored 24 goals and 11 assists.

Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati also had a night to celebrate as she retained 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 marks his first FIFA man-of-the-match award and adds a positive highlight to a season that previously included a 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 and Ballon d’Or awards are widely regarded as two of the most prestigious individual awards in football.

Lionel Messi won the FIFA Best award in the previous two years, and Robert Lewandowski won it two years before that.

This year’s award, which recognized performances from August 2023 to August 2024, was determined by a voting process divided equally into 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 team-mates were already in Qatar preparing for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca, which was due to take place at the 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 a Barcelona representative.

The full lineup includes:

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