On December 18, Beijing time, the 2024 FIFA Awards Ceremony was held in Doha, the capital of Qatar. For the most watched Player of the Year award, Real Madrid forward Vinicius was elected. This is the first time Vinicius has won this award in his career, and he has also become the first player born in the 2000s to win this award.
In the previous Ballon d’Or selection, Vinicius was once the favorite to win the award. However, in the end the Ballon d’Or was won by Manchester City player Rodri, who led the team to win the Premier League and European Cup championships. Because they knew in advance that Vinicius would not win the Ballon d’Or, no one from Real Madrid attended the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Rodri, who ended the season due to injury, accepted the award on crutches. This time in the World Footballer selection, Vinicius, the best player in the UEFA Champions League for the 2023-2024 season, beat Rodri and became the first “post-2000” player to win the World Footballer. Rodri did not come to support, FIFA President Infantino presented the award to Vinicius.
Unlike the Golden Globe Award, which relies on votes from professional media reporters, the World Footballer judges include four categories, namely the current men’s national football team coach (one for each team), the current men’s national football team captain (one for each team), professional media Representatives of journalists and fans registered on FIFA’s official website. Regardless of the actual number of voters, the voting weight of the four categories of judges is equal, with the coach, captain, reporter, and fans each accounting for 1/4. The weighted total score is calculated based on the voting results to determine the ranking. The votes of coaches, captains and reporters will be announced on FIFA’s official website. The final list of 11 people voted was judged by a FIFA expert panel. In both the coach’s vote and the reporter’s vote, Rodri beat Vinicius; but in the captain’s vote and the fan’s vote, Vinicius left Rodri by a huge advantage. Vinicius’s weighted total score is 48 points, Rodri ranks second with 43 points, and Bellingham ranks third with 37 points. Ranking fourth to 11th are Carvajal (31 points), Yamal (30 points), Messi (25 points), Kroos (18 points), Haaland (18 points), Mba Pei (14 points), Wirtz (8 points), Valverde (4 points).
Vinicius was born in July 2000. In July 2018, he joined Real Madrid from Brazilian giants Flamengo with a transfer fee of 45 million euros. He grew into an active player under the guidance of famous coaches such as Zidane and Ancelotti. One of the best players in the world. The selection cycle for this year’s World Footballer is from August 21, 2023 to August 10, 2024, that is, the entire 2023-2024 season and the national team competitions (European Cup, America’s Cup) in the summer of 2024, excluding this season. performance.
Vinicius helped Real Madrid win the Champions League and La Liga double last season, but performed poorly in the Copa America. Rodri helped Manchester City become an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League champions in the 2023-2024 season, and also helped Spain win the European Cup. Both stars were very competitive, and ultimately they were evenly matched in the selection of the two awards. Rodri won the Ballon d’Or and Vinicius was elected World Footballer of the Year.
After winning the award, Vinicius wrote on his social account: “I came, I saw, I conquered. Today, I write to the child who has watched countless idols lift this trophy… Now it’s your turn. Or more accurately It’s my turn to say – yes, I’m the best player in the world and I’ve been fighting for it for a long time.”
Among other major awards, Real Madrid coach Ancelotti was elected as the Coach of the Year, Ganaccio’s overhead goal won the Puskas Award of the Year, and the Women’s Player of the Year was won by Bonmati. The award ceremony also announced the best lineup for the 2023-2024 season. This is a 4-3-3 formation, including goalkeeper: Martinez; defenders: Carvajal, Rudiger, Ruben Dias, Sa Lipa; midfielder: Bellingham, Rodri, Kroos; forward: Yamal, Haaland, Vinicius.
Proofreader Li Haihui
