Why Cristiano Ronaldo did not vote for The Best FIFA Men's Player 2024?

Vinicius Junior won the The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

It has been made public why Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal, did not vote for The Best FIFA Men’s Player.

To win the award Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr. defeated fierce opposition from Rodri of Manchester City, who took home this year’s Ballon d’Or, to win the title of Best FIFA Men’s Player for 2024.

Ronaldo, who is often Portugal’s designated captain, did not vote for the accolade, according to FIFA’s voting records. Bernardo Silva, a midfielder for Manchester City, took over instead, selecting Rodri, Vinícius, and Erling Haaland as his top three selections.

Vinicius, who was unhappy not to win the Ballon d’Or earlier in the season, had his moment of glory when he accepted this accolade, which is chosen by managers, media representatives, and international team captains.

When it was time for captains, the Real Madrid player led the poll with 617 points to Rodri’s 373. However, he only received one point from Lionel Messi, as the Argentina great had Vinicius in third place.

pic.twitter.com/QinUE3UR3i

— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) December 17, 2024

Given Ronaldo’s longstanding position as Portugal’s captain, this shift in voting responsibilities sparked some curiosity. Nevertheless, this is not the first time he has abstained from voting, as veteran defender Pepe has voted on behalf of Portugal the previous two times.

Ronaldo, the 2016 and 2017 winner, was conspicuously missing from this year’s list of nominees and, as a result, did not earn a single vote nor was eligible to cast one.

Notwithstanding his absence, the 39-year-old keeps up his impressive play on the field, making a substantial contribution to Al Nassr with 19 appearances across competitions in 2024–25, including 16 goals and three assists.

Ronaldo is taking a little vacation before returning to action for Al Nassr since the Saudi Pro League is presently on a break as well. He will have the chance to maintain his amazing form and guide his team to further success when they play Al-Akhdood on January 9, 2024.

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