OFFICIAL: Vinicius gets his crown as the FIFA Best Player of the Year

Vinicius Junior is the new winner of FIFA's The Best trophy. The Real Madrid star has taken over from Messi, winner of the 2023 edition, and has won for the first time this trophy that accredits him as the best player of 2024, a year that has not yet ended and that can close with a flourish with the achievement of one more title - the Intercontinental - in his trophy cabinet.

The Brazilian player has beaten some serious rivals and can now turn the page after his defeat in the Ballon d'Or, an award won by Spain's Rodri Hernandez. In the hours leading up to the Paris gala, the Merengue player finished second on the podium by a margin of 41 votes. The publication of the journalists' votes sparked a huge controversy and his own club, through Florentino Perez, complained about the voting system for the award, as well as giving a nod to his player as a sign of support.

Part of Vinicius' victory is based on his 2024 individual and collective achievements with Madrid. His numbers speak for themselves: 31 goals in 46 games and four titles out of a possible five: Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, Champions League and European Super Cup. However, his role with the Brazilian national team has not been as expected, with 2 goals in 7 games and an early elimination from the Copa America, in the quarter-finals against Uruguay. Nor has he performed at an optimum level in the South American qualifiers (4 games, 0 goals).

If we rewind to the beginning of the year, the player from Sao Goncalo was the great architect of the victory in the Spanish Super Cup. The dorsal number ‘7’ stole the show in the 4-1 thrashing of Barca, scoring a stellar hat trick, one of his goals coming from the penalty spot. From that moment on, the striker picked up cruising speed to lead Ancelotti's team, who went on to win the domestic championship and a new Champions League, the 15th for the club and the second for him.

Vini was also key in winning another Champions League, being his team's top scorer with 6 goals and 4 assists. His brace in Munich against Bayern and the goal he scored in the final against Borussia Dortmund will live long in the memory. His performances throughout the tournament were rewarded with the Best Player of the Champions League award.

And what about the Spanish league, in which he scored 15 goals and provided5  assists. His work in the 2023-24 season ended with 24 goals and 9 assists and 3 trophies, but the Brazilian wanted more and just before the start of the 2024-25 season he lifted the European Super Cup. Another one for the collection and with participation in Valverde's goal, to which he gave the assist to open the scoring. He was also an exceptional witness to Mbappe's debut for Los Blancos, who opened his goalscoring account for the first time.

The best way to kick off a new season, the 2024-25, even though the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund tempted him with a dizzying offer to leave Madrid. 'The Athletic' exposed that the proposal was for 1 billion euros between salary and other extra income for 5 seasons and his answer was a “no”.

With that episode put aside for the time being, Vinicius started the season inconsistently and gradually improved his performances to reach 13 goals and seven assists in 20 games. In the run-up to the Intercontinental Cup final against Pachuca, where he will start in attack, the Brazilian receives extra motivation with The Best.

The votes of fans, journalists from each country, the captains of the 211 FIFA national federations and the coaches of the 211 FIFA member teams were equally important.

 

December 17, 2024