He finally received an award for being “the best.” It may be the less prestigious one, but still good enough to calm egos and soothe flaring tensions. Real Madrid’s forward Vinícius Júnior is the winner of The Best award, which FIFA presents to the world’s best footballer for the past year. However, no matter how much FIFA tries, its laureates don’t carry the prestige of the Ballon d’Or, which caused a huge uproar recently. In that award, Rodri was voted the best player in the world, prompting Real Madrid to boycott the gala ceremony in Paris.Vini Jr is #TheBest FIFA Men’s Player 2024! 🏆— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 17, 2024 This time, however, everyone from the Royal club was present in Doha, home to FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino. Real Madrid is set to play the Club World Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca tomorrow in the Qatari capital, so the timing worked out perfectly. Vinícius received the award from Infantino himself.“When I was a kid, it seemed impossible that I would one day hold this award. After all the poverty and crime I saw as a child, being here tonight is a huge achievement for me. Thank you to everyone, thank you to Real Madrid, where I want to play for a long time, and thank you to Flamengo, which gave me my chance,” said Vinícius Júnior after receiving the award.In FIFA’s award selection process, votes from fans, captains, and coaches of men’s and women’s national teams, as well as sports journalists worldwide, carried equal weight. Vinícius Júnior ended up with 48 points, Rodri finished second with 43 points, and Jude Bellingham came third with 37 points. The top 10 also included Dani Carvajal (31 points), Lamine Yamal (30), Leo Messi (25), Toni Kroos (18), Erling Haaland (18), Kylian Mbappé (14), Florian Wirtz (8), and Federico Valverde (4). Vinícius Júnior is the first Brazilian to win The Best award in its current format, which has been presented since 2016. Lionel Messi has won it three times, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski twice each, and Luka Modrić once. Previously, the award was known as “FIFA World Player of the Year,” and Brazilians who won it include Ronaldo (three times), Ronaldinho (twice), and Romário, Rivaldo, and Kaká (once each).No Ballon d’Or? Here is another reward for youIn the Coach of the Year category, Real Madrid’s manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed the award, which was presented to him by Arsène Wenger. Notably, Ancelotti was also named the best coach in the Ballon d’Or rankings. For the Best Goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez of Aston Villa was named the winner for the second consecutive year. He performed well at the club level and once again won the Copa América with Argentina. He was also named in the FIFA FIFPro World 11, which included: Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, Rúben Dias, William Saliba, Rodri, Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, Vinícius Júnior, and Erling Haaland. Spanish players dominated the women’s awards. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8580146##As expected, the phenomenal Aitana Bonmatí from Barcelona was named Best Women’s Player for the second year in a row. Five Spanish players were included in the Women’s World 11: Irene Paredes (Barcelona), Ona Batlle (Barcelona), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona), Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona), and, of course, Aitana Bonmatí. The Puskás Award for the best goal was won by the legendary Brazilian Marta, after whom the award is named. The Fair Play Award went to former Lille midfielder and current Internacional player Thiago Maia. The Brazilian made heroic efforts in May during severe floods in the southern part of his homeland.
