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Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr was named the Men’s Player of the Year, beating Manchester City’s Rodri and his teammate Jude Bellingham to The FIFA Best Awards which were held in Doha, Qatar, on Monday night.
In the women’s category, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year.
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The 2024 FIFA Puskas Award for Goal of the Year was won by Alejandro Garnacho for his stunning overhead volley against Everton in the Premier League.
Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez was announced as the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, while Alyssa Naeher (USA and Chicago Red Stars) was named the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid won the Men’s Coach of the Year, while Emma Hayes, who is now with the USA Women’s National Team, took the Women’s Coach of the Year prize.
Thiago Maia of Brazil and Sport Club Internacional received the FIFA Fair Play Award 2024.
In other news, Ademola Lookman, recently named African Player of the Year, described the honor as “something incredible,” expressing his amazement at being recognized as the finest footballer on the continent.
The Nigerian international and Atalanta forward shared these sentiments on Monday while delivering his speech at a spectacular CAF-organized event in Marrakech, Morocco, where he was officially honored.
“This award today is a blessing to me, to my family, to my nation, and to be recognised as the best player in Africa is something incredible and I am extremely proud of,” Lookman said.
Recalling the difficult periods of his career four years ago, the 27-year-old advised young people to view failures as stepping stones rather than barriers, reminding them that their future is not bound by their past.
“Just over four years ago I failed in front of the world, fast forward to four years I am the best player in Africa,” Lookman recalled.
“I want to say to the young children and young people watching this ‘don’t let your failures weigh you down that they break your wings, turn your pain into your power and continue to fight and continue to fly’, God bless!”
