Tuesday, December 17, 2024, 18:57
The glory that the Ballon d’Or denied Vinicius in October was granted this Tuesday, just two months later, by the other great individual trophy, the FIFA The Best. Footballers, coaches, media and fans this time chose the Brazilian as the best player in the world, ahead of Rodri and his teammate Bellingham. It was a balm after the setback that the Fluminense took with the France Football vote, which also caused Real Madrid’s controversial stand for the most prestigious award and its gala in Paris.
Very far from the City of Light, in Doha, where Madrid will play this Wednesday against the Mexican Pachuca in the final of the Intercontinental Cup, the highest body in world football recognized Vinicius, who despite a new and cold telematic gala, As a result of the saturation of the calendar, he received the trophy in person, like his coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who in his case repeated the Ballon d’Or.
«It seemed impossible to get here when I was little, after seeing the poverty and crime. I want to continue at Real Madrid for a long time, in addition to thanking Flamengo, where I started,” said the great protagonist of the day. It was the icing on the cake of an election based on the opinion of the captains and absolute selectors of each of the 211 federations recognized by FIFA, as well as a journalist appointed by each country and the popular vote, channeled through a questionnaire organized by the largest world football organization through its website.
The system this time awarded Vinicius, after Florentino Pérez’s furious criticism of the method of choosing the Ballon d’Or, based exclusively on the votes of a hundred journalists, one for each of the first hundred countries in the FIFA ranking, selected previously by France Football.
Beyond the divergence between the two great individual awards in the world of football and the controversy over the disparity of opinions on an election with a high subjective component, FIFA The Best recognizes an outstanding season by Vinicius. The Brazilian was a pillar of Real Madrid in a campaign in which the white team won the Champions League, the League and the Spanish Super Cup, titles to which this year he has already added the European Super Cup and could add the Cup today Intercontinental.
The data of the white ‘7’ speaks for itself. He scored 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games for Real Madrid in the 2023-24 season, with decisive performances such as the hat-trick against Barça in the Super Cup final, an extraordinary double against Bayern in Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final and the goal that closed the final of the top continental competition against Borussia Dortmund, at Wembley.
This role as first striker in one of the most demanding teams in the world contrasts with the current reality of Vinicius in the Brazilian team, also the most successful in the world but with a very different present from other golden eras. After the disappointment of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, the first global event in the career of the São Gonçalo attacker, the Canarinha crashed again in the Copa América last summer, with another premature KO in the quarterfinals, in a tie against Uruguay that the Madrid star could not play due to suspension.
Thirteen white trophies
This season, Vinicius is on track to surpass his best records, with 13 goals and 9 assists in all competitions. Also 8 yellow cards – 11 last year -, an inappropriate record for an attacking player who speaks clearly about the mole in his ascending career, the constant brawls with rival players and fans. The Fluminense, who beyond the grass has assumed the role of symbol against racism, regularly gets into controversies on the green due to his controversial attitude.
Beyond the noise that accompanies a differential footballer, the truth is that at 24 years old, the new The Best has already become a Real Madrid legend. In white he is seen in 284 official duels, 96 goals and 13 trophies – two Champions Leagues, three Leagues, one Copa del Rey, two Club World Cups, two European Super Cups and three Spanish Super Cups – an impressive collection that, after recovering from the disappointment which was the Ballon d’Or, aspires to expand against Pachuca.