Doha, Dec 18 (UNI) Spain’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 winner Aitana Bonmatí has been named The Best FIFA Women’s Player and Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior has won The Best FIFA Men’s Player at a star-studded The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 ceremony here in Qatar.
Barcelona midfielder Bonmatí was voted The Best FIFA Women’s Player for the second time in a row after the 26-year-old followed up her World Cup-winning year with another trophy-laden 12 months for club and country.
“I am grateful to receive this award. As I always say, this is a team effort. It was a great year, very difficult to repeat. I am grateful to the people who help me to be better every day, from the club, to my teammates, who always help me to be better,” said Bonmatí, who won a domestic treble and the UEFA Women’s Champions League with the Catalan giants in 2024, as well as the UEFA Women’s Nations League with her national team.
“It is a pleasure to be here again and to go for more, for more collective titles, which are what make you be here and the most important ones,”she added.
Vinícius Junior scored Real Madrid’s second goal in the final – one of 24 strikes in 39 competitive club appearances in the 2023-24 season – as the Spanish club claimed a record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League title in June.
He was also part of the Brazil squad that reached the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America quarter-finals in the USA and added the La Liga title, the Supercopa de España and the UEFA Super Cup to the European crown en route to succeeding FIFA World Cup 2022™ winner Lionel Messi as The Best FIFA Men’s Player, according to a FIFA media statement.
“I don’t even know where to begin. It was so far away that it seemed impossible to get here. I was a kid who only played football barefoot on the streets of Sao Goncalo, close to poverty and crime. Getting here is something very important to me. I’m doing it for many children who think that everything is impossible and who think they can’t get here,” said the 24-year-old after receiving the award from FIFA President Gianni Infantino at a gala dinner to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the Aspire Academy in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2024 final, where Real Madrid will encounter Mexican side CF Pachuca.
“I have to thank everyone who voted for me, all the players, coaches, journalists and my fans. I couldn’t forget to thank my family, who gave up living their dream to live mine. I want to thank the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, Carleto, and my team who helped me get here and made me believe that I could make a difference and do great things with them,” he added.
Like the two main individual honours, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper awards were decided by a vote equally weighted between fans, the current captains and coaches of all women’s/men’s national teams and media representatives.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who was runner-up two editions ago, was presented with The Best FIFA Men’s Coach award.
“I’m really honoured to receive this award,” said Ancelotti, who received his trophy from Mr Infantino.
“I started as a professional player in 1976 – 48 years in football, and football has given to me and is giving me a lot of emotion. Most of the time (it’s) positive; sometimes negative. But, emotion is the only reason that after 48 years, I’m still alive,” Ancelotti said.
Meanwhile Emma Hayes was named The Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2024. Hayes led the US women’s national team to Olympic gold at Paris 2024 just weeks after crowning her 12-year stint at Chelsea with the English domestic league title.
“It’s an unbelievable accolade and one that I never take for granted. It’s been an amazing year, so
I feel really honoured and privileged to receive the award,” Hayes said upon receiving the trophy.
Aston Villa and Argentina keeper Emiliano Martínez came out on top in the vote for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, winning the award for the second time, following his triumph in the 2022 edition, largely on the back of his major role in his country’s run to 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América glory.
Placing third in 2020, Alyssa Naeher was crowned The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper. Her saves, notably in the semi-final shoot-out win against Germany, helped to propel the United States women’s national team to Olympic gold. The Chicago Red Stars player also stood out as her country won the inaugural 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup and her club reached the US National Women’s Soccer League play-offs.
“I’m so excited and incredibly honoured and humbled to have been named the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper,” said Naeher in a video message, one of a number of award winners who were revealed online. “It has been such an incredibly special season, and our team was so much fun to be a part of, and all the credit in the world goes to the players in front of me for all the work that they’ve done all season long on the field.”
Voting for the new FIFA Marta Award and the FIFA Puskás Award, which honour the best goals scored in women’s and men’s football, respectively, was split equally between fans and a panel of FIFA Legends.
“I’m very happy with this result. To compete against so many great players, we had some fantastic goals. It’s been a wonderful season, too,” said Brazil’s Marta, who won the inaugural award bearing her name for the last of her 119 international strikes: a goal against Jamaica on 1 June 2024. “But
I’m even happier to receive an award that bears my name; this is undoubtedly the greatest honour.”
“I’m very proud to win this award; it’s a proud moment for me and my family,” said Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, who won the FIFA Puskás Award for his sensational overhead kick against Everton in the Premier League in November 2023. “It was a great finish; I worked on this in training so many times, but it was also a great team move, so it would be impossible for me to be here without my team-mates.”
The winner of the FIFA Fan Award – based entirely on the votes of registered users of FIFA.com – is Guilherme Gandra Moura. A devoted fan of Vasco da Gama, the young Brazilian suffers from a rare genetic condition known as epidermolysis bullosa.
He was placed into a coma after falling ill with pneumonia, waking 16 days later, and the touching video of his reunion with his mother went viral. He was helped in his recovery by Vasco da Gama’s then-star player Gabriel Pec. He met the team and was chosen as mascot for a match in August 2023 after having left hospital.
Internacional’s Thiago Maia earned the FIFA Fair Play Award, which was decided upon by an expert panel, for his efforts to help people suffering in the Rio Grande do Sul region of Brazil after it was hit by devastating floods in late April and early May 2024.
For the first time, fans participated in the vote for The Best FIFA Men’s 11 and The Best FIFA Women’s 11, choosing from a list of 77 nominees for each line-up, with their choices weighted
equally with those of an expert panel.
Bonmatí is joined by six team-mates who helped Barcelona to roaring success in the second half of the 2023-24 season in The Best FIFA Women’s 11 2024. Vinícius Júnior is one of five Real Madrid players in the men’s line-up, including Dani Carvajal, who won the 2024 UEFA European Championship with Spain alongside fellow The Best FIFA Men’s 11 2024 members Rodri of Manchester City and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.
The Best FIFA Women’s 11 2024: Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars/USA), Irene Paredes (Barcelona/Spain), Ona Batlle (Barcelona/Spain), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona and Chelsea/England), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave/USA), Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona/Spain), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais/USA), Gabi Portilho (Corinthians/Brazil), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain), Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona/Norway), Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona/Spain)
The Best FIFA Men’s 11 2024: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa/Argentina), Rúben Dias (Manchester City/Portugal), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid/Spain), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid/Germany), William Saliba (Arsenal/France), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England), Rodri (Manchester City/Spain), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany), Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid/Brazil).
