Vinícius Júnior and Aitana Bonmatí were named the top footballers of the year at Fifa’s Best Awards in Doha, with Emma Hayes following up her Ballon d’Or win with the women’s coach of the year accolade.
Hayes guided Chelsea to a fifth successive Women’s Super League title last season before leaving to take over the US national team, and leading them to Olympic gold in Paris. Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti won the men’s award after delivering La Liga and the Champions League last season. It was a happier night for Vinícius who, along with his Real Madrid teammates, boycotted the Ballon d’Or awards after missing out to Manchester City’s Rodri – but the winger picked up his prize at Fifa’s ceremony before Real face Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final in Qatar on Wednesday.
