Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was crowned FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati claimed the Women’s Player of the Year award for the second time.
The honor follows Vinicius’ second-place finish in the Ballon d’Or two months ago – a ceremony Real Madrid notably skipped after learning Manchester City midfielder Rodri would win the trophy.
This time, the 24-year-old Brazilian was present to accept the award, as he is currently in Qatar with Real Madrid ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca on Wednesday.
“Thank you very much. I don’t know where to start. It was impossible to think of getting here. I grew up in a world of poverty, of organized crime. This is for all the children who grow up in that world. I thank everyone who voted for me,” Vinicius said on stage.
“To my family, to the club, to my teammates, to Carletto (Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti), who always helps me. To everyone who helped make my dream come true. I hope to be at Madrid for many years because it is the best club in the world. To Flamengo (his first club in Brazil). To my teammates in my national team. And to my country, which always supports me in my work.”
Vinicius succeeds Lionel Messi as the FIFA Best Men’s Player after the Argentinian claimed the last two editions of the award.
The electric forward scored 24 goals and tallied 11 assists in 39 matches across all competitions, leading Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double last season.
Having wrapped up his third La Liga title in May, Vinicius secured the second Champions League trophy of his career as Real defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on June 1.
Vinicius was on the scoresheet at Wembley, delivering a pinpoint finish inside the final 10 minutes to seal the victory.
While Vinicius at times played second fiddle to clubmate Jude Bellingham in La Liga, he was undoubtedly Madrid’s standout player in Europe.
He finished as the top scorer for the Champions League winners with six goals in the competition, including the strike in the final and a brace in Madrid’s 4-3 aggregate win over Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
Vinicius also scored a hat trick in a 4-1 victory over archrivals Barcelona in the Supercopa final in January.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Vinicius last season, as he endured a disappointing Copa America campaign with Brazil.
Despite scoring twice in a group-stage win over Paraguay, Brazil ultimately crashed out on penalties to Uruguay in the quarterfinals.
Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati, 26, claimed the FIFA Best Women’s Player award for the second straight year, adding to her two Ballon d’Or titles.
“I’m grateful, I’m proud to receive this award,” Bonmati said via video link from Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium.
Last season, Bonmati led Barcelona to a historic continental quadruple and helped Spain win the Nations League.
She secured every major club trophy in the 2023–24 season: the Spanish league, the Copa de la Reina, the Supercopa de Espana and a second consecutive Women’s Champions League.
Bonmati scored a goal and delivered a player-of-the-match performance as Barcelona defeated Lyon 2-0 in the Champions League final, securing their third title in four seasons.
Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho won the Puskas Award for best goal of the year, recognized for his stunning bicycle kick against Everton in the Premier League.
