Soccer fans furious FIFA didn’t nominate Vinicius Jr for Best 2023 Men’s Player alongside Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe

FIFA has announced the nominees for the coming FIFA Best men’s player award but Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was missing from the top 12 nominations. Despite having excellent figures last season, he couldn’t make it to the list. Apart from that, no other Real Madrid has been nominated this year.

Vinicius Jr has been included in the top 30 players list for the Ballon d’Or, alongside his teammates Jude Bellingham and former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema. Hence, his absence from the FIFA Best Player nomination was a bit surprising. Questions have been raised by fans regarding exactly why the Brazilian was left out.

Soccer fans outraged over FIFA not nominating Vinicius Jr. for Best 2023 Men’s Player

An outrage has erupted among fans on social media directed at FIFA for excluding the Brazilian international from the nominations list. Many are questioning FIFA’s criteria and the grounds on which they have finalized the list this year, especially considering that Vinicius Jr managed to secure a place in the nomination list for the same award last year.

Following the announcement, fans have expressed their disappointment and criticism against FIFA for their decision to exclude Vinicius from the list. It came as a surprise to many fans.

A fan labeled it as “robbery” and wrote, “Vinicius Jr. robbed of the nominations for FIFA The Best because they had to include their favorite Lionel Messi there somehow. This award isn’t even based on the World Cup time limit, so what has Messi done after that to deserve a spot over Vinicius?”

The fan also asked, “And yes, in case you were wondering, Messi already won it last year for winning the World Cup, so what’s the basis this time?”

Another fan reacted by saying, “Vinicius Jr had 44 goals and assists last season, and yet FIFA decided to nominate players like Declan Rice, Marcelo Brozovic, and Julian Alvarez over him. Someday there will be talk about the constant injustices that this man suffers.”

FIFA has officially released the Best 2023 Men’s Player nominees

FIFA, the global governing body responsible for organizing the annual awards, unveiled their list of 12 nominees on Thursday, September 14. However, the dates for the award ceremony are yet to be announced.

Half of the players on the 12-men list are Manchester City stars: Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, and Bernardo Silva. All of these players played instrumental roles and were key contributors to their treble-winning previous season.

The other six stars on the list include Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Napoli’s Victor Oshimen, along with his teammates Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Arsenal’s Declan Rice. Haaland and Messi are considered the front-runners for the men’s best player award this year.

What are your thoughts on FIFA ‘The Best’ nominees? Who do you think will succeed Lionel Messi this year? Share your thoughts in the comments.