Real Madrid and Brazil winger Vinicius Jr. has been crowned FIFA Men’s Player of the Year at the prestigious FIFA Best Awards in Doha.
The 24-year-old, who along with his club boycotted the recent Ballon d'Or ceremony after missing out on the award to Manchester City's Rodri, claimed the top prize at the ceremony. Vinicius was instrumental in Real Madrid's success during the 2023-24 season, contributing 24 goals and 11 assists to their Champions League and La Liga triumphs.
This marks Vinicius' first-ever FIFA Best award, following Lionel Messi’s back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022, and Robert Lewandowski’s two previous wins. The award was determined by a combination of public votes, journalists from each country, and the votes of national team managers and captains, each group contributing 25% to the final result.
In other awards, Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati was named Women’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Vinicius' win capped a much more positive end to the year after his Ballon d'Or boycott in October, reaffirming his status among the top players in world football. Real Madrid were already in Qatar for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Pachuca at Lusail Stadium.
