Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has slammed his critics after winning FIFA The Best Men’s Player of the Year award.
Vini Jr was named 2024 FIFA Player of the Year just two months after he lost the Ballon d’Or award to Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri in controversial fashion.
The Brazilian forward topped FIFA “The Best Men’s Player of the Year” standings with 48 votes, five more than Rodri (43 votes) and 11 more than Vinicius’ Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham (37 votes).
In his celebratory post on social media, Vinicius Junior slammed critics who believe he would not go farther, claiming that they attempted to “invalidate” and “diminish” him.
“Today I write to the child who has seen so many idols lift that trophy,” Vinicius said on Instagram.
His time has come. Or rather, my time has come. The time to say … yes, I am the best player in the world and I have fought hard for it.
“They have tried and tried to invalidate me, to diminish me. But they are not ready. No one is going to tell me who I should fight for, how I should behave. When I was at São Gonçalo, the system didn’t care about me. It almost swallowed me up.
“I won for myself, for my family. With a lot of support along the way: Flamengo, Real Madrid, the Brazilian national team, my hundreds of teammates over the years … the people who accompany me every day in my routine, those who admire me … The best player in the world,” he stated.
It would be recalled that Vinicius and Real Madrid snubbed and boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony in October after it emerged the Brazilian will not be winning.
“I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready,” the 24-year-old had posted on social media after being snubbed of the Ballon d’Or.
The forward helped Real Madrid win the Spanish La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in the 2023-24 season. This season, Vinicius has scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in 21 matches for the Los Blancos.
