It goes without saying that Brazil is the nation for soccer. If you were to pinpoint any period of time, there would be at least one Brazilian soccer player who stood out above the rest. For this generation, that player is Vinícius Júnior. Having won the infamous La Liga and UEFA Champions League double this year, Vinícius Júnior put himself on the pedestal with the all-time greats. Not only did he win the awards but he won the awards with style, pulling out every trick imaginable from his soccer sleeve. Combining Brazilian flair with that Real Madrid history-making knack, Vinícius Júnior had a splendid 2024.
- Kian Long
FanSided Editor
Best fan moment of the year
Growing up as a soccer fan, it is every aficionado’s dream to achieve one of two things; to score the winning goal in a World Cup final or to score the winning goal in a UEFA Champions League final. Viní did the latter, scoring against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, securing Real Madrid’s record-breaking 15th UEFA Champions League trophy.
Why we needed this fandom this year
2024 was quite the turbulent year for Vinícius Júnior. On the pitch, the magician had everything going for him. Off the pitch, though, Viní was not met with the same fate. Viní was the voice for fighting against racism in soccer and still to this day, he campaigns for better legislation from the soccer bodies, to kick racism out of the game. Towards the end of the year, Viní was denied the Ballon d’Or award for the best player throughout the year despite many accepting that he deserved the golden ball — If this encourages Viní to fight harder for the award in 2025, we are in for a treat.