Cristiano Ronaldo had no say in his long-term heir at Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior, being named Men's Player of the Tear for 2024 at FIFA's Best awards ceremony. The legendary forward didn't cast a vote despite being eligible to do so due to his status as Portugal captain.
Vinicius pipped Ballon d'Or winner Rodri and teammate Jude Bellingham to the accolade, as many felt the Brazilian winger was finally given the recognition he deserved following the backlash of having not been handed the golden ball back in October. The Real Madrid star scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions throughout the 2023/24 season, as he played a central role in Los Blancos' Champions League and La Liga double.
Lionel Messi Related
Lionel Messi Believes Two Players Deserved FIFA’s Best Award More Than Vinicius Jr
Although Vinicius Junior was awarded FIFA's Best Award, Lionel Messi felt there were two other La Liga stars who deserved it more.
Elsewhere at The Best FIFA Awards, Carlo Ancelotti was named the Men's Coach of the Year, Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona was handed The Best FIFA Women's Player of 2024, and Alejandro Garnacho was awarded the Puskas Award for his spectacular overhead kick goal against Everton.
Among the fallout, it was noticed that Ronaldo - who had been involved in a head-to-head battle with Lionel Messi to win Tuesday night's accolade for many years - didn't cast a vote after the Al-Nassr forward wasn't nominated to win the prize himself. But, why?
Why Ronaldo didn't vote despite being Portugal captain
Bernardo Silva was handed Portugal's vote instead
Cristiano Ronaldo
Captains of international teams are given the responsibility of voting in the awards, but it was noticed that Bernardo Silva cast Portugal's vote. The Manchester City midfielder often deputises when the 39-year-old veteran is out for whatever reason, and it appears the Iberian nation could well be looking ahead to the future.
Although Ronaldo typically wears the armband when playing for his country, he was not listed as the official captain in the voting records, as per AS. Instead, Silva was responsible for choosing his top three favorites for the award, in which he voted for Rodri, winner Vinicius Junior, and Erling Haaland.
Roberto Martinez and Bernardo Silva Votes
Ranking
1st Place (5 Points)
2nd Place (3 Points)
3rd Place (1 Point)
Information via The Best FIFA Awards
Interestingly, however, it now means that Ronaldo hasn't voted in the last three award ceremonies. Per Goal, it was confirmed by FIFA that Pepe took on the voting responsibilities after Portugal's 2022 World Cup campaign, which saw Ronaldo largely restricted to substitute appearances.
Therefore, it stressed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner didn't withdraw from the process out of frustration at his own personal snub. The same process was followed in 2023, with vice-captain Pepe casting Portugal's vote, instead of Ronaldo once again.
It remains to be seen where the Al-Nassr poster boy's international future lies, but with his record in Saudi Arabia still going strong, it doesn't seem as though the veteran is ready to hang up his boots just yet. After recently scoring his unprecedented 900th career goal, Ronaldo may wish to continue setting and smashing records.