Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior has been crowned Men’s Player of the Year at the FIFA Best Awards.

The 24-year-old winger with Real Madrid notably skipped the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony after being overlooked in favor of Manchester City’s Rodry.

However, Vinicius received this prestigious honor during a ceremony held in Doha.

Vinicius was instrumental in Real Madrid’s successful 2023–24 season, where they won both the Champions League and La Liga titles.

Throughout the campaign, he contributed 24 goals and 11 assists.

Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati also had a night to celebrate, as she retained the women’s player award for the second consecutive year, while Carlo Ancelotti and Emma Hayes were both named coach of the year.

For Vinicius, this is his first ever FIFA best award and adds a positive highlight to a season that previously included a Ballon d’Or boycott in October.

Best moment for Real Madrid. ⚪️✨ pic.twitter.com/gPLtcZ7eVP

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 17, 2024

The FIFA Best Awards and the Ballon d’Or are widely regarded as the two most prestigious individual honors in football.

Lionel Messi won FIFA’s best award in the previous two years, Robert Lewandowski won it the previous two years.

This year’s award, which recognizes performances from August 2023 to August 2024, was decided by a voting process divided equally into four groups: public fans, journalists (one per country), and captains and managers of national teams. Each group’s vote accounted for 25% of the final decision.

Vinicius’ Real Madrid teammates were already lining up in preparation for their FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca, which is scheduled to take place at the Lusail Stadium on Wednesday.

Men’s Team of the Year

The FIFPro Men’s World XI featured five Real Madrid players along with five Premier League stars, including the recently retired Toni Kroos and a representative from Barcelona.

The full lineup includes:

• Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
• The defenders: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), William Lintasa (Arsenal), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
• Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Rodri (Manchester City)
• Next: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Lamin Yamal (Barcelona), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).