The Best Awards: FIFA labelled 'disgrace' for snubbing Vinicius yet including Messi

FIFA has come under heavy criticism, being labelled an 'absolute disgrace' for the glaring exclusion of Vinicius Junior from this year's The Best Football Awards nominee list.

The global football governing body, which is responsible for organising the annual awards, unveiled the 12 nominees for the best men's player on September 14.

Among them are the 2022 World Cup winner Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, and Manchester City's treble-winning striker Erling Haaland, as well as Julian Alvarez and Declan Rice, Sky Sports reports.

However, the notable absence of Real Madrid winger, Vinicius Jr. from the list has sparked outrage among football fans, who are decrying this perceived 'injustice'.

@WolfRMFC called FIFA a disgrace for leaving out Vinicius:

"It’s an absolute disgrace that Vinicius hasn’t made this list, but somehow Messi has? When the period for this award doesn’t include the World Cup."
Sharing these sentiments, @YashRMFC suggested the decision to leave out the Brazilian was disrespectful:

"Vinicius is the most disrespected player in the world rn, hope one day he'll get his flowers."

Barcelona fan, @HugoDeKok3 put aside his rivalry to question FIFA about how Vini was overlooked:

"As a Barca fan, I really don't understand this. He deserved more than 5 or 6 of the other guys that are there right now."
@starboyorlando_ lamented:

"Vinicius was not nominated for FIFA The Best award meanwhile Declan Rice, Ghost Kvaratskhelia, Brozovic, Alvarez and Lionel Messi were nominated."
Another user, @solomondewise27 added:

"Vinicius not making this list makes me believe that this is also scripted."

The Best Football Awards for this year considered players' performances from December 19, 2022, to August 20, 2023.

During this timeframe, Vinicius displayed exceptional form, scoring 16 goals and providing 14 assists while also clinching the Copa del Rey and FIFA Club World Cup with Real Madrid, per Transfermarkt.

Additionally, the 22-year-old played a pivotal role in guiding Los Blancos to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

In terms of goal involvement, only three players outshone his 30 contributions: Kylian Mbappe (32), Mohamed Salah (33), and Erling Haaland (41).