Real Madrid star attacker Vinícius Júnior has earned his way into the FanSided Fandoms of the Year for 2024.
Vinícius Júnior had a tremendous 2024. He won the Supercopa de España, Champions League, La Liga, UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup this year.
Viní Jr's honours list for this calendar year definitely should not be overlooked. Yes, you could argue that it's easy to win honours being a Real Madrid player but Viní has played a key role in winning all of those trophies.
Real Madrid fans would be hard-pressed to forget the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley Stadium where among a pile of world-class players, it was Viní who stole the limelight. The Brazil international scored the winning goal of the final.
Real Madrid star earns his way into FanSided’s Fandoms of the Year
In the recently compiled Fandoms of the Year list for 2024, put together annually by FanSided, Vinícius Júnior is proudly representing Real Madrid among a handful of other prominent figures.
Soccer fans will recognise not only Viní in the list but also the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Cole Palmer and the USWNT. In general, the list also includes other recognised names such as Olivia Rodrigo, Kendrick Lamar and Beetlejuice.
So, Vinícius Júnior is exactly where he belongs - Among a bunch of esteemed professionals who are at the top of the pile in their respected crafts.
Real Madrid fans will certainly argue that Vinícius Júnioris the best player in the world. This infamously went unrecognised at the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony, where Rodri was controversially handed the Golden Ball instead of Viní Jr
However, there was a silver lining more recently, when Viní Jr was presented with the Fifa Best award for men's player of the year. This award, along with the Intercontinental Cup trophy, was not in Vini's arsenal when the Fandoms of the Year list was compiled but they only cement his position in this list.
On Viní's best fan moment of the year, I said: "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."
Viní's activism was also taken into account when putting forward my nomination for this list. There are some matters which are bigger than this spot, with Viní acting as the perfect spokesperson for tightening the legislation against racism in soccer.