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"The best player in the world should be decided by FIFA."
It was the captain of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. FIFA held the 'The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024' in Doha, Qatar on the 18th (Korea time). FIFA, which established the Player of the Year Award in 1991, has been integrating with the Ballon d'Or selected by French football magazine France Football since 2010 and has been holding an award ceremony separately from the Ballon d'Or since 2016.
The Ballon d'Or is known as the most prestigious trophy a footballer can receive, given to the player with the best performance of the previous season. Infantino seemed to want to bring that authority to FIFA. In an interview after the ceremony, he said "If you want to know who the best player in the world is, it should be decided by FIFA. FIFA's voting system is transparent and objective for everyone to participate in."
Journalists will vote for the Ballon d'Or, and The Best FIFA Football Awards will be held with the votes of national coaches and captains and journalists.
Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) won the "Men's Player of the Year" category. The men's player of the year was decided through votes from national team coaches, captains, and media based on their performances from August 21, 2023 to August 10 this year. Visinius received 48 points in total, beating Rodri (Man City) with 43 points and Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) with 37. South Korean captains Son Heung-min and Hong Myung-bo picked Rodri as the first and Vinicius as the second.
The award ceremony drew attention as a return match between Vinicius and Rodri. Rodri laughed at the 2024 Ballon d'Or Awards in October. The most likely Ballon d'Or candidate at the time was Vinicius. There were even reports in Spain that Vinicius had confirmed the award of the Ballon d'Or early on. Vinicius was a two-time Real Madrid champion. He scored 15 goals and 6 assists in the league, then scored 6 goals and 5 assists in the European Champions League, giving his team its 15th 'Big Year'. However, Rodri, who played the best for Manchester City and the Spanish national team, lifted the trophy. The aftermath was extraordinary. Real Madrid missed the ceremony with an unusual statement. In Brazil, even the political and business circles have begun, saying `The Ballon d'Or has been stolen.' Monnier Ballon d'Or from Real Madrid and Brazil expressed discomfort.
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The winner of this 'The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024' was Vinicius. With this award, Vinicios became the first Brazilian player in 17 years to be named FIFA Player of the Year after Kaká in 2007. Unlike the Ballon d'Or, Vinicius participated in the ceremony and thanked everyone for selecting me. I want to thank my family who gave up their dream to achieve my dream, and my team members who made me believe that I could do something big."
Vinicius redoubled his joy by also being named in the 'The Best FIFA Best 11'. Vinicius, as well as 'monster'Elling Holan (Man City) and 'supernatural'Yamin Ramal (Barcelona) were selected as strikers. The midfield was picked by Rodri, Bellingham, and retired Tony Cross. Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Hoobeng Díaz (Man City) and William Saliba (Arnall) took the four backs. The best goalkeeper was Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa).
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
