There were no boycotts on Tuesday night as Florentino Perez achieved the desired result at FIFA's The Best ceremony.
While France Football failed to appease the wishes of the Real Madrid president at the end of October, FIFA ensured galactic reliever Perez left Doha a happy man. He is very proud of his superstars, and Madrid's best received the “Best Men's Player” award. being controversial was snubbed in the Ballon d'Or voting.
Vinicius Junior's incredible 2024 undoubtedly deserved such recognition. The Brazilian inspired Madrid to another Champions League/La Liga double and has ascended to a realm where many regard him as the best of the best.
He beat ten other nominees for the award, including Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, as well as four former and current Real Madrid teammates. National team coaches and captains, as well as media representatives and fans, all have a say in determining the winner. Here is a breakdown of The best Men's Player Vote.
The four groups of voters each account for 25% of the vote, with players accumulating points that determined the overall winner. Vini Jr earned 48 points – the same as Lionel Messi in 2023 – after securing the most votes for captain and fans by a wide margin.
Rodri was particularly admired by the national team coaches as well as the media (shown by his Ballon d'Or win), but his victory in these categories was not enough for him to deceive Vinicius again. The Spaniard won 43 points.
The midfielder was beaten by third place Jude Bellingham in the fan vote. The English representative finished with 37 points.
Dani Carvajal and teenage superstar Lamine Yamal also scored at least 30 points, while Messi's perennial popularity helped him to 25 points and sixth after helping Argentina to Copa America glory in the summer.
Retired Madrid Star Toni Kroos and Erling Haaland each collected 18 points, four more than Kylian Mbappe. Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz (eight) and Madrid midfield horse Federico Valverde (four) were the only two players to record single-digit hauls.
Best men's player 2024 – top three voting breakdown
|
Order |
Player |
Coach points |
Captain points |
Media points |
Fans point |
Scoring points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Vinicius Junior |
438 |
617 |
538 |
1,147,276 |
48 |
|
2. |
Rodri |
461 |
373 |
543 |
264,835 |
43 |
|
3. |
Jude Bellingham |
191 |
164 |
183 |
460,887 |
37 |