Liverpool ace Alisson Becker sends message to Vinicius Junior after bust-up

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has congratulated countryman Vinicius Junior after being named FIFA's Best Men's Player of the Year.

Vinicius, 24, was the heavy favourite to win the award after being snubbed for the Ballon d'Or earlier in the year, with Man City midfielder Rodri, 28, claiming the most prestigious individual award in football instead.

Real Madrid then boycotted the ceremony in Paris, despite being named the Club of the Year award and manager Carlo Ancelotti winning Coach of the Year.

The winger has once again been a standout for his club, starting 18 of his 20 appearances across all competitions, scoring 13 goals, and providing nine assists in 1639 minutes of action.

The Man City midfielder, who is out injured for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in their 2-2 draw with Arsenal, has been vocal about his win since.

Rodri told Spanish TV show El Hormiguero: “I think Vini is a smart guy and with time he will realize that the more you pay attention on the field, the better you will be. Athletes are not just what they represent on the field, but also off it."

The Spain international received a huge backlash for his comments, with Neymar taking to Instagram to call him out for being a “talker” as the fall-out from the vote intensifies.

Liverpool 'keeper Alisson Becker full of praise for Vinicius Junior after latest award

Alisson, 32, made his return in Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League win over Spanish side Girona on December 5th having missed their previous 11 games across all competitions with a hamstring injury.

Caoimhin Kelleher proved to be a competent understudy, but Alisson remains Arne Slot's first choice between the sticks, starting all ten of his appearances across all competitions, conceding five goals, and keeping six clean sheets in 889 minutes of action.

The shot-stopper took to Instagram to congratulate Vinicius on his win, saying: "Congratulations Vinicius Junior, what a joy to see a Brazilian at the top."

Liverpool dropped two valuable points in their 2-2 Premier League draw with Fulham in the last round of fixtures but remain two points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Liverpool face a managerless Southampton side in their League Cup quarter-final on Wednesday (December 18) as they aim to retain the trophy.

In other news, Liverpool plot shock move to sign Chelsea regular starter – Insider.

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