Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior on Tuesday won The Best FIFA Men’s Player award at a ceremony in Doha, while Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati picked up the women’s prize for the second time.
The award came two months after 24-year-old Vinicius was second in the Ballon d’Or, with Real Madrid electing to snub the ceremony when they found out beforehand that Manchester City midfielder Rodri was set to win the trophy.
This time, the Brazilian was on hand to collect the prize in person as he is in Qatar with his club ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final clash with Mexico’s Pachuca.
Photo: AFP
“Thank you very much. I don’t know where to start. It was impossible to think of getting here. I grew up in a world of poverty, of organized crime. It’s for all the children who grow up in that world. I thank everyone who voted for me,” Vinicius said on stage.
Vinicius succeeds Lionel Messi as The FIFA Best Men’s Player after the Argentine scooped up the last two editions of the award.
The live-wire forward scored 24 goals and laid on 11 assists in 39 matches across all competitions as he led Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double last season.
Photo: AP
The 26-year-old Bonmati of Spain picked up The Best Women’s Player award for the second year running, adding to the two Ballon d’Or trophies she already boasts.
“I’m grateful, I’m proud to receive this award,” Bonmati said by video link from Barcelona’s Olympic stadium.
Last term, Bonmati led Barcelona to a historic continental quadruple of titles and claimed the Nations League with her national team.
She won every trophy available to her in club soccer in 2023-2024 — the Spanish league, the Copa de la Reina, the Supercopa de Espana and a second successive Women’s Champions League.
Manchester United’s Argentine forward Alejandro Garnacho won the Puskas Award for the best goal of the year for his spectacular bicycle-kick against Everton in the Premier League.
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
India’s chess star Gukesh Dommaraju returned to a hero’s welcome in his home city yesterday after becoming the youngest world champion aged only 18. Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals area of Chennai International Airport, cheering alongside banks of television cameras as Gukesh made his way out of the airport after victory in taking the World Chess Championship title. “It means a lot to bring back the trophy to India,” Gukesh told reporters, with garlands of flowers draped around his neck, brandishing the glittering trophy in his hand. “I can see the support and what it means to India, I
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
RSS