In this season of FIFA The Best, the main individual award organized by football’s highest governing body to select the greatest moments in world football, one name has been conspicuous by his absence: Real Madrid striker Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian is the current winner of the award in the last edition.
Although he was recently considered one of the best players in the world, the Brazilian number 7 is not among the nominees for the award for the best player of the 2025 season. FIFA will choose the highlight of the past year this Tuesday (16/12), during a ceremony to be held at 2 p.m. (Brasilia time), in Qatar.
The list of finalists released by FIFA in November included athletes such as Raphinha, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona striker is the only Brazilian involved in the main dispute.
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Vini Jr. was on the pitch during the Clásico, against Barcelona.
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Barcelona are second in La Liga.
Apart from those indicated
The main explanation for Vinícius Júnior’s absence relates to the athlete’s performance throughout the evaluation period used by FIFA for the election. The entity considers performances between August 2024 and August 2025 to evaluate the player who will receive the award.
During the period in question, Vini Jr. played 58 matches, scored 22 goals and provided 16 assists. Despite the relevant numbers, the performances declined significantly compared to the previous season, 2023/24, in which the Brazilian scored 24 goals and 9 assists in just 39 games.
Comparing the last two seasons, Vini Jr. has recorded an average of 0.65 goals per game in the current season. This figure rises to 0.84 goal contributions per match when analyzing 2023/24 data.
European newspapers also highlighted that the striker spent much of the season without scoring goals for the Whites and said his performances fell short of expectations for a top prize contender. This factor may have influenced the Brazilian’s ranking outside of the 11 nominees for the Best Player award.
During the FIFA awards, in addition to the captains and coaches of the national teams, journalists from affiliated countries and fans also participate in the vote that elects the best player in the world for the season.
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