Author name: Omar Rodríguez

FIFA has announced the winners of the 2024 The Best Awards, celebrating the year’s finest achievements in football. Among the highlights were the victories of Vinícius Jr., Aitana Bonmatí, Carlo Ancelotti, Emma Hayes, and the goals scored by Marta and Alejandro Garnacho, which were recognized as the best of the year. Vinícius Jr. and Real Madrid Shine The Brazilian star finally earned individual recognition, winning his first The Best award for his performance as a footballer. This accolade adds to his successes with Real Madrid. Notably, Vinícius surpassed Rodri, the recent Ballon d’Or winner, who took second place in The Best voting. In addition to Vinícius, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was honored as the third-best player of the year. These two, along with teammates Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger, were also named to The Best XI for 2024.   Bonmatí Dominates Women’s Football On the women’s side, Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona secured her place as the year’s best female player. This marks her second consecutive The Best award, joining the elite ranks of players like Alexia Putellas, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski, who have achieved this feat. Bonmatí’s stellar year included winning a historic quadruple with Barcelona and claiming the Nations League title with Spain. She also received the Ballon d’Or just weeks before this award ceremony. Ancelotti and Hayes: The Best Strategists In the managerial category, Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid was named The Best Coach of 2024 in men’s football, while Emma Hayes, who coached Chelsea and the U.S. national team this year, earned the honor in women’s football. Dibu and Naeher: The Walls of 2024 In goalkeeping, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez was named the Best Men’s Goalkeeper of the year, while Alyssa Naeher, the U.S. national team’s standout, took the women’s honor, adding to her Olympic medal from Paris 2024. Marta and Garnacho: Authors of Masterpieces The Best Goal awards showcased breathtaking artistry. Brazilian legend Marta received the inaugural Best Women’s Goal award for a stunning strike against Jamaica on June 1, 2024. After collecting a deflection, she dribbled past a defender with a mesmerizing step-over, cut to her left, and unleashed a perfectly placed shot into the top corner. On the men’s side, Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho claimed the honor for his acrobatic bicycle kick against Everton on November 26, 2023. Calculating the trajectory of a cross from the right, Garnacho launched himself into the air just outside the penalty arc, connecting with precision. The ball soared gracefully into the opposite corner, etching his goal as a true masterpiece.

Chelsea’s great season has just been stained by a doping test that showed positive in one of its players. It is the Ukrainian star Mykhailo Mudryk, as reported by the English team, which, in turn, was notified of this irregularity by the English Federation (FA). The FA reported that an irregularity was detected in a urine test they had, before this, Mudryk stated that he has no idea how a banned substance could enter his body, and assured that he has done nothing wrong and hopes to return to the field soon. Chelsea reported that both they, and their player, will respect the FA’s decision when further tests are conducted and a final conclusion is reached, but for the time being, Mudryk is banned from the team and, should the final tests corroborate doping, he could receive up to 4 years out of professional soccer as punishment. Cover image: X (@ChleseaFC)

UEFA has raised the total prize pool for Euro Women 2025 to 41 million euros, a 156% increase. Teams will receive a fixed 1.8 million euros, with additional prizes based on performance and victories. Women’s football continues to grow worldwide, and UEFA’s announcement of the monetary prize increase for the upcoming Euro Women 2025 is a testament to this growth. The total prize pool for the tournament has been increased to 41 million euros, which will be distributed among the 16 teams competing.   How much will teams earn for participating in the Euro? During a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, it was agreed to increase the investment for the tournament to be held in 2025 by 156% compared to the 2022 edition, which had a prize pool of only 16 million euros. Teams participating in the tournament will receive a fixed 1.8 million euros, equivalent to 70% of the total prize pool. The remaining 30% is reserved for performance, with 50,000 euros awarded for draws and 100,000 euros for each victory achieved. These amounts increase in the knockout stages, with 550,000 euros going to the winners of the quarter-finals and 700,000 euros to the teams that reach the final. The bigger prizes! The grand prize for the European champions has also seen a significant improvement compared to the previous edition, as winning all their matches could yield a total of 5.1 million euros, which is a better prize compared to the 2.085 million euros of Euro 2022, though still far from the prizes in men’s football. Finally, the consolation prize for the runners-up will be 850,000 euros, bringing the total sum of 41 million euros invested in the tournament.

Major League Baseball teams are already starting to think about the next MLB season. That is why teams have already started to sign promising players and great elements already consolidated in baseball. Such is the case of the Baltimore Orioles, who bet on the experienced Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano. One of the most important players during 12 seasons in the Japanese Professional Baseball League, star of Japan’s most historic team, the Yomiuri Giants. According to information from ESPN, the right-handed pitcher and the Orioles agreed on a one-year, $13 million deal. You may be interested in: Freddie Freeman’s grand slam ball was auctioned off Cover image: X (@Orioles)