Brazil legend Ronaldo congratulated Vinicius Jr on winning the FIFA Best Men’s Player award, describing him as a “symbol of resistance and resilience”.
This comes after the controversy during the recent Ballon d’Or awards, where Manchester City’s Rodri received more honors than the Brazilian, leading to Vinicius’ club Real Madrid boycotting the ceremony.
“It’s been 16 years since the last time the trophy for the world’s best player came to Brazil,” he wrote on Instagram. “Now in Vinny’s hands it means much more than just his decisive role in games and exceptional numbers in the 2023/24 season. His talent will be enough to win awards, but his strengths go far beyond the field, Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.
“We are talking about one of the most valuable players today, who is the victim of televised racism with unimaginable frequency. How many unsung Vinicius does he represent? How many victims are spread everywhere? A symbol of resistance and resilience, Winnie also leads the anti-racism struggle in world football today, where impunity is as dangerous as attacks. And those who remain silent are no less racist. Omissions – particularly by institutions and officials who have the legal power to confront and punish such practices – further reinforce a culture of erasure and disrespect toward black people. They tried to destroy you, my friend. And you shook it. The best player in the world is black and Brazilian!” he added in the post.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid star Vinicius finally got a major global player award as he pipped Rodri to win the best award by five points.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Vinicius said in Portuguese after receiving the award on stage. “It was so far away that it seemed impossible to reach here. I was a kid who played football barefoot on the streets of São Gonçalo, close to poverty and crime.
“It is very important for me to get here. I’m doing it for a lot of kids who think everything is impossible and who think they can’t get there.
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