Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr has clinched the 2023 Ballon d’Or Socrates Award for his effort on community building and other charity works, MySportDab reports.
The Ballon d’Or Socrates Award always goes to the best footballer who is believed to have used his professional career to promote noble causes geared towards human development.
.@vinijr, founder of the Instituto Vini.Jr, is the winner of the Socrates Award!#PrixSocrates with @peaceandsport#ballondor pic.twitter.com/2ua5hWICf9
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) October 30, 2023
The award also crowns efforts of footballers who tries to touch and impact communities positively through their professional life.
This year’s award is going to Vinicius Jr for his off-field charities and humanitarian efforts.
Vinicius Jr is the founder of a training institute ‘Instituto Vini Jr’ where Brazilian youths and children are offered basic training.
The award is specially in recognition of his effort in promoting the welfare of humanity through the institution and it is a worthy recognition of his other efforts to get things right.
Apart from his career with Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr, who has been a countless victim of racial abuse, has been very outspoken about racism.
He also revealed that part of his motivation to establish the institute was to shape and train the upcoming generation on the need to do away with all forms of racism.
His effort has alligned with moves by football stakeholders to get rid of all forms of racism in football hence the award is well deserved for the Brazilian.
He is the second Real Madrid player to bag 2023 Ballon d’Or award after Jude Bellingham was declared the winner of Golden Boy Award.
