Vinícius Júnior's Real Madrid and Brazil teammates did not hesitate to show their support after the winger took home this year's The Best FIFA Men's Player Award.
Two months after his 2024 Ballon d'Or snub, Vinícius Júnior accepted the second-most prestigious individual honor in soccer. The Brazilian received The Best FIFA Men's Player Award 2024, beating out Manchester City's Rodri and fellow Real Madrid teammates, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal.
In the aftermath of the ceremony, those who know and have played with Vinícius Júnior praised the 24-year-old on social media. Neymar was one of the first people to congratulate the Brazilian, posting a photo of Vinícius Júnior winning the award to his Instagram story with the caption: "Well deserved. Very happy for you. Keep flying."
Brazil and Real Madrid legend Kaká dedicated an entire post to Vinícius Júnior, sharing a heartfelt message that ended with, "Congratulations Vini! 'The Best' is yours, but the pride is ours!"
A post shared by Kaká (@kaka)
As Kaká mentions, Vinícius Júnior now joins an elite list of Brazilian players, including Ronaldo Nazário, Rivaldo, Romário, Ronaldinho and Kaká, to be named the best player in the world by FIFA.
Bellingham also shared a photo with Vinícius Júnior on Instagram and wrote, "Simply, the best." The England international finished third in the voting for The Best FIFA Men's Player Award, but featured in The Best FIFA Men's 11, along with Carvajal, Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger.
Kylian Mbappé joined in on the festivities, writing, "Well deserved bro" in his own separate Instagram story dedicated to Vinícius Júnior.
Of course, Vinícius Júnior himself wrote a lengthy post on Instagram after the win. He echoed his sentiments after losing the 2024 Ballon d'Or and wrote, "They've tried and tried to invalidate me, to diminish me. But they are not ready."
A post shared by Vinicius Jr. ⚡️🇧🇷 (@vinijr)
More Real Madrid teammates of past and present commented on the post, including Rodrygo, Carvajal and Kroos.
It might not be the Ballon d'Or, but Vinícius Júnior more-than earned the title of the best player in the world after leading Real Madrid to a record-15th Champions League title, 36th La Liga title and 13th Spanish Super Cup.
Check out the full list of winners from The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 here.
feed
Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering the European game and international competitions.
Follow AmandaLangell
© 2024 ABG-SI LLC. – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
