Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid was awarded the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year trophy at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the Women’s Player of the Year award for the second consecutive time.
This accolade comes two months after the 24-year-old Vinicius finished second in the Ballon d’Or.
Real Madrid had decided to skip the ceremony after learning that Manchester City’s Rodri was set to win the award.
However, Vinicius was present in Doha to collect his prize, as he is in Qatar with his team ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca on Wednesday.
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“Thank you very much. I don’t know where to start. It was impossible to think of getting here. I grew up in a world of poverty, of organised crime. It’s for all the children who grow up in that world. I thank everyone who voted for me,” Vinicius said on stage.
“(Thank you) To my family, to the club, to my teammates, to Carletto (Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti), who always helps me.
“To everyone who helped make my dream come true. I hope to be at Madrid for many years, because it is the best club in the world. To Flamengo (his first club in Brazil). To my team-mates in my national team. And to my country, which always supports me in my work.”
Vinicius succeeds Lionel Messi as the FIFA Best Men’s Player after Messi won the last two editions of the award.
The dynamic forward scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions, leading Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double.
After securing his third La Liga title in May, Vinicius helped Madrid lift their second Champions League trophy of his career, scoring a key goal in the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the final on June 1.
Though he often played a supporting role to teammate Jude Bellingham in La Liga, Vinicius was undoubtedly the standout performer in Europe.
He finished as the top scorer for the Champions League winners with six goals, including a crucial goal in the final and a brace in the 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
Vinicius also scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Barcelona in the Supercopa final in January.
However, his summer was less successful, as he endured a disappointing Copa America campaign with Brazil. He netted two goals in a group-stage win over Paraguay, but Brazil was eliminated by Uruguay in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout.
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Aitana Bonmati, 26, won the FIFA Best Women’s Player award for the second year in a row, adding to her two Ballon d’Or trophies. “I’m grateful and proud to receive this award,” Bonmati said in a video message from Barcelona’s Olympic stadium.
Bonmati had an exceptional 2023/24 season, leading Barcelona to a historic continental quadruple, while also securing the Nations League with Spain.
She won every available club title — La Liga, Copa de la Reina, Supercopa de España, and a second consecutive Women’s Champions League.
Bonmati played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s 2-0 Champions League final victory over Lyon, scoring a goal and being named player of the match.
Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho was honored with the Puskás Award for the best goal of the year for his stunning bicycle kick against Everton in the Premier League.
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