Vinicius wins award as Spanish Govt. sanctions racist who abused the Brazilian 

Real Madrid’s star player Vinicius Jnr has picked up the XXXIII EFE Trophy for the best Ibero-American player and revealed his favourite goal of the season.

Vinicius Junior was honoured with the esteemed XXXIII EFE Trophy for being the most outstanding Ibero-American player by the prestigious sports agency.

This recognition is for his crucial role in Real Madrid’s season, with an impressive record of double-digit goals and assists, although less silverware than he’s become accustomed to of late.

In a ceremony held at Real Madrid Sports City in Valdebebas, Vinicius accepted the award before joining the Brazilian national team for two friendly matches against Guinea and Senegal. As the season came to a close for Real Madrid, this accolade held significant meaning for the young footballer.

Expressing his gratitude, Vinicius stated, “This award holds immense significance for me, as it places me among the great players who have previously received this honour. Being in their company is of utmost importance to me. I aspire to continue performing at this level in the upcoming seasons and throughout my time at Real Madrid. I always strive to be at my best, and being surrounded by such remarkable players is crucial for my continuous growth and development.”

In receiving this award he follows in the footsteps of previous Brazilian winners, including Romario, Ronaldo Nazario, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Casemiro.

When asked about his favourite goal of the year, Vinicius chose the one he scored in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. Playfully, he remarked that goals of that nature, powerful shots from outside the penalty area, were not typically his style.

“I prefer the goal against Manchester City because it occurred in a semi-final and was an extraordinary strike, something I don’t usually do,” he responded.

Meanwhile, seven people have been punished for acts of racism towards Vinicius. Four men were fined 60,001 euros (£51,700) and given a two-year stadium ban for hanging an effigy of Vinicius near Real's training ground in January.

The four men were arrested 11 days ago and released on bail by a Madrid court.

Three other people were fined 5,000 euros (£4,300) and banned for one year for making racist gestures during Real's game at Valencia on 21 May.

Those three are aged between 18 and 21, the police said, and were detained two days after the game.

The sanctions were given by Spain's State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, said the country's Sports Commission on Monday. Vinicius, whose red card for violent conduct late in the Valencia match was rescinded, later said the Spanish league "belongs to racists".

La Liga president Javier Tebas and the league's handling of the incident was widely condemned after he told Vinicius on social media that "you need to inform yourself properly".

Tebas later apologised to Vinicius, saying he did not mean to "attack" the 22-year-old.

The Brazilian government called for severe sanctions against those responsible for the racial slurs and La Liga said it will seek "more sanctioning powers" to ensure it can punish such incidents.