Global (Commonwealth) _ When Real Madrid learned in advance that Manchester City midfielder Rodri would win the trophy, they decided to skip the ceremony. The honor comes two months after 24-year-old Vinicius finished second in the Ballon d’Or.
However, the Brazilian was present to accept the award in person this time because he and his team are in Qatar before their match against Pachuca of Mexico in the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday.
Thank you very much. I have no idea where to begin. To even consider coming here was unthinkable. I grew up in an environment where organized crime and poverty were prevalent. It is dedicated to every child that grows up in that world. I’m grateful to everyone who supported me. On stage, Vinicius stated.
(Thank you) To my teammates, my family, the team, and Carletto (Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid), who never fails to assist me.
To everyone who contributed to the realization of my goal. Madrid is the greatest club in the world, so I intend to stay there for a long time. To Flamengo, his first Brazilian club. To my teammates on my country’s squad. And to my nation, which consistently encourages me in my endeavors.
Lionel Messi won the FIFA Best Men’s Player honor the previous two times, and Vinicius now has the title.
The live wire forward helped Real Madrid win both La Liga and the Champions League last season with 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across all competitions. Vinicius had already won his third La Liga championship in May when Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on June 1 to win his second Champions League trophy.
With a precise finish inside the final ten minutes, Vinicius put his team on the scoresheet at Wembley. Vinicius was unquestionably Madrid’s primary guy in Europe once things got serious, even though he occasionally played second fiddle to teammate Jude Bellingham in La Liga.
With six goals in the competition, including the goal in the final and a brace in Madrid’s 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, he was the leading scorer for the Champions League winners.
In January, he also scored a hat trick in a 4-1 triumph over bitter rivals Barcelona in the Supercopa final. However, Vinicius’s Copa America performance with the Brazilian national team over the summer was not without its challenges.
Although he scored two goals in a victory over Paraguay in the group stage, his team lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarterfinals.
For the second consecutive year, 26-year-old Spanish player Bonmati won the Best Women’s Player title, completing her collection of two Ballon d’Or trophies. Through a video link from Barcelona’s Olympic stadium, Bonmati stated, “I’m grateful, I’m proud to be given this award.”
Bonmati won the Nations League with her national team last season and guided Barcelona to a record continental quadruple of titles.
She won the Spanish league, the Copa de la Reina, the Supercopa de Espana, and the Women’s Champions League for the second consecutive year in 2023–2024.
Barcelona won their third Champions League trophy in four seasons after defeating Lyon 2-0 in the final, thanks in part to Bonmati’s goal and player-of-the-match performance.
Alejandro Garnacho, an Argentine forward for Manchester United, earned the Puskas award for greatest goal of the year in the Premier League for his incredible bicycle kick against Everton.
Similar to the two primary individual awards, fans, current coaches and captains of all women’s and men’s national teams, and media representatives cast equal votes to determine the winners of the Best FIFA Men’s Coach, Best FIFA Women’s Coach, Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, and Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper awards.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, who finished second two years earlier, received the Best FIFA Men’s Coach title. When Mr. Infantino handed Ancelotti his trophy, he stated, “I’m truly honored to receive this award.”
Emma Hayes, meanwhile, won the title of 2024’s Best FIFA Women’s Coach. Only a few weeks after completing her 12-year career at Chelsea with the English domestic league trophy, Hayes led the US women’s national team to Olympic gold in Paris 2024.
Emiliano MartÃnez of Aston Villa and Argentina won the prize for the second time in a row as the winner of the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper voting.
