Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior won the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year title on Tuesday at an event in Doha, Qatar.
The accolade comes two months after Vinicius, 24, finished second in the Ballon d’Or, with Real opting out of the ceremony after they learnt ahead of time that Manchester City midfielder Rodri would win the trophy.
However, the Brazilian was in Qatar with his club ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca on Wednesday, so he was able to accept the medal in person.
“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 and organised crime. It’s for all the children who grow up in that world. I thank everyone who voted for me,” Vinicius said on stage.
“(Thank you) 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 takes over as FIFA Best Men’s Player from Lionel Messi, who has won the honour in the previous two years.
The forward guided Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double last season, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists in 39 matches across all competitions.
Vinicius, who had previously won his third La Liga title in May, won his second Champions League trophy when Real defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on June 1.
He was the Champions League champions’ top scorer, scoring six goals in the campaign, including the final goal and a brace in Madrid’s 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
He also scored three goals in a 4-1 Supercopa final victory over archrivals Barcelona in January.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for Vinicius last season, as he had a poor Copa America with the Brazilian national team in the summer.
He scored two goals in a group-stage victory over Paraguay, but his team was eliminated on penalties by Uruguay in the quarterfinals.
