Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior won the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatti became the second woman to win the award. The award comes two months after 24-year-old Vinicius finished second in the Ballon d’Or, and Real decided to ignore the ceremony when they knew in advance that Manchester City midfielder Rodri would take home the trophy. But the Brazilian was on hand to collect the prize in person this time, as he is in Qatar with his club ahead of Wednesday’s Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca.
Vinicius succeeded Lionel Messi as FIFA’s best men’s player after the Argentine won the award the previous two times.
The live-wire forward led Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double last season, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists in 39 games across all competitions.
Vinicius, who had already won his third La Liga title in May, claimed the second Champions League title of his career on June 1 as Real beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
Vinicius got his name on the Wembley scoresheet with a precise finish inside the final 10 minutes to make the game safe for his team.
If Vinicius occasionally played second fiddle to clubmate Jude Bellingham in La Liga, when things got serious he was undoubtedly a leading man for Madrid in Europe.
He was the Champions League winning team’s top scorer with six goals in the tournament, including the goal in the final and Madrid’s 4-3 aggregate win over Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
He also scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over rival Barcelona in the Supercopa final last January.
However, not everything was smooth sailing for Vinicius last season as he endured a disappointing Copa America with the Brazilian national team.
He scored twice in the group stage win over Paraguay, but his team eventually fell to Uruguay on penalties in the quarterfinals.
– Consecutive winner Bonmatti –
Spaniard Bonmati, 26, won the Best Women’s Player award for the second year in a row, adding to the two Ballon d’Or trophies she already boasts.
“I am grateful to receive this award,” Bonmatti said via video link from Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium.
Last season, Bonmatti led Barcelona to a historic quadruple continental title and the Nations League title with the national team.
She has won every trophy available to her in club football, including the Spanish League, Copa de la Reina, Supercopa de Espana and a second successive Women’s Champions League in 2023/24.
Bonmatti scored and was man of the match as Barcelona beat Lyon 2-0 in the Champions League final to win their third title in four seasons.
Manchester United’s Argentine striker Alejandro Garnacho won the Puskas Award for the best goal of the year with his spectacular bicycle kick against Everton in the Premier League.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article
