The ceremony for FIFA’s annual The Best awards took place this Tuesday, recognizing the top performers from both club and international soccer over the past twelve months. The standout winner of the night was Vinicius Junior, who claimed the prestigious honor thanks to his stellar displays with Real Madrid in 2024. With this victory, the Brazilian joins a select list of past winners, including legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
For Vinicius, this marks his first major individual accolade of such significance, especially after a controversial defeat in the Ballon d’Or race to Rodri. The Real Madrid star becomes only the fifth player in history to win The Best award since its inception in 2016, following the split between FIFA and France Football, the organizers of the Ballon d’Or.
Vini now shares this honor with Luka Modric, who won The Best in 2018 while representing both Real Madrid and Croatia. Robert Lewandowski, on the other hand, has won the award twice—first in 2020 and again in 2021.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the inaugural recipient of The Best in 2016, a year in which he dominated European soccer by winning the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and the European Championship with Portugal. He went on to repeat his success the following year, both times finishing ahead of Lionel Messi, who took second place.
However, the Argentine star bided his time and eventually claimed his revenge. In 2019, after a remarkable year with Barcelona, Messi won his first The Best award. He added a second in 2022, following his crowning achievement: winning the World Cup with Argentina and ending a 36-year drought for his country. The following year, Leo added a third trophy to his collection, thanks in part to his dazzling performances in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. With this win, Messi became the most decorated player in the award’s history.
FIFA Awards Ceremony – Best Men s Player – Zurich, Switzerland – 09 01 17. Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with the award.
Vinicius shines with Real Madrid
Vinicius Junior has long been considered one of the most promising talents in world soccer. Over the years, he has grown into a key player for Real Madrid, playing a pivotal role in the club’s success. However, questions about his place among the sport’s elite had lingered—until 2024.
This year, Vini was the undisputed star of a Real Madrid team that dominated almost every competition it entered. The Spanish giants claimed the 2023/24 La Liga title with a commanding lead, also adding the Spanish Super Cup to their trophy haul. On the European stage, Vinicius was instrumental in Real Madrid’s triumph in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, where they beat 2-0 Borussia Dortmund in the final. That victory set up a European Super Cup clash with Atalanta, the UEFA Europa League champions, a match that ended in another 2-0 win for Madrid.
By the end of 2024, Vini had delivered a stunning individual performance, scoring 33 goals in 58 games across all competitions, placing him among the top 25 scorers globally. While most of these goals came for Real Madrid, Vinicius’s next challenge is to replicate this form on the international stage with the Brazilian national team, where he has yet to achieve the same level of consistency.
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Neither Vinicius nor Mbappe: Lionel Messi's first vote for FIFA The Best 2024, revealed
How did Messi and Ronaldo fare at The Best 2024 awards?
Despite being the most decorated player in the history of The Best award and the reigning champion, Lionel Messi had a disappointing showing at the 2024 ceremony. He was ranked sixth, behind not only Vinicius Junior but also Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Daniel Carvajal, and Lamine Yamal.
Cristiano Ronaldo fared even worse. Although his goalscoring feats with Al-Nassr and Portugal were impressive, they weren’t enough to secure him a spot among the top ten candidates. Ronaldo was excluded from the list of the year’s most outstanding players, a similar snub he had faced at the Ballon d’Or.
