The Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, a player for Real Madrid, won the FIFA award for the best player in the world in 2024. The award ceremony took place on Tuesday afternoon (17th) in Doha, Qatar. This is the first time that Vini Jr. has received the “The Best” award given by the sport’s governing body.
In his speech, the player remembered Flamengo, the club where he was revealed, and also thanked his teammates from the Brazilian national team and the Spanish club, where he has played since the second half of 2018.
“I have to thank everyone who voted for me, all the players, coaches, journalists, and my fans. I couldn’t forget to thank my family, who gave up living their own dream to live mine. I want to thank the president, Mister Carleto [Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid’s coach], and my team, who made it possible for me to get here and believe that I could make a difference and do great things with them.”
The star of the Brazilian national team and Real Madrid had the most spectacular season of his career in 2023/24. He was constantly a key player in decisive moments for Real Madrid, scoring 24 goals in 39 matches across various competitions.
Vini Jr. received 48 points in the voting, which was conducted by coaches and captains of national teams, journalists, and fans. In second place was Spanish player Rodri with 43 points. English midfielder Jude Bellingham came in third with 37 points.
Brazil has the best player in the world again after 17 years. The last time was in 2007, when Kaká was honored. However, this is the first time a Brazilian has won the award during the “The Best” era, which was created by FIFA in 2016. Previously, the award had a different name and was sometimes shared with the “Ballon d’Or” award, given by the French magazine France Football.
Source: Agência Brasil