Vinicius Jr sends defiant message after FIFA Best victory – 'They tried to invalidate me'
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Vinicius Junior sent a pointed message to his critics after bouncing back from his Ballon d’Or disappointment by winning the FIFA Best trophy. Vinicius was furious at missing out on the Ballon d’Or to Manchester City midfielder Rodri at the end of October. But the decision was reversed for the men’s FIFA Best award on Tuesday night in Doha, Qatar, with Vinicius there to collect the trophy.
Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris because they were furious at what they perceived as disrespect towards their Brazilian star. The 24-year-old forward contributed 24 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions to help Real Madrid clinch the LaLiga and Champions League double last season and felt he’d done enough to win it.
After missing out in the journalist vote to Rodri, Vinicius tweeted: “I'll do it 10x if I have to. They're not ready.” He now feels vindicated, having won the FIFA version which was launched in 2017 to rival the Ballon d’Or awards. Vinicius wrote on Instagram : “Today I write to that boy who saw so many idols lift this trophy... his time has come. Or rather, my time has come. The time to say... yes, I am the best player in the world and I fought hard for it.
“They tried and still try to invalidate me, to diminish me. But they are not prepared. No one will tell me who I should fight for, how I should behave. When I was in São Gonçalo, the system didn't care for me. I was almost swallowed. “I won for myself, for my family. With a lot of support along the way: Flamengo, Real Madrid, Brazilian National Team, my hundreds of teammates over the years... the people who accompany me daily in my routine, those who admire me… THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD.”.
