The round of 16 of Champions League it was certainly a roller coaster of emotions as far as Real Madrid is concerned. Despite the 2-0 defeat with just half an hour to go, a hat-trick of Karim Benzema dragged Los Blancos to the quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain. While the Frenchman and his PSG compatriot Kylian Mbappé, who may well be playing the famous Madrid white next summer, will dominate the headlines, Vinícius Júnior’s work has definitely gone unnoticed.
The Brazilian, who was recently called up by Tite for the World Cup qualifiers, is enjoying the best season of his career so far. At just 21 years old, the player feels he has been on the scene for much longer, such is the experience he has accumulated since arriving from Flamengo in the summer of 2018. The year he spent in Castilla’s development team in Madrid ensured he was ready to burst onto the scene at the Santiago Bernabéu, and now he’s looking like one of the first names on Carlo Ancelotti’s team sheet.
With plenty to play for until the end of the season, and with Madrid still one of the favorites in the online betting for the Champions League, let’s look at Vinícius Júnior’s rapid rise this season, and how he became a household name at the Bernabéu.
new manager
There were moments under Zinedine Zidane that made people think Vini Jr. didn’t have what it took to make the cut at Real. He wasn’t necessarily surplus to requirements, but with more experienced wingers like Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale both priced very high both on and off the team, it meant the Brazilian was forced to make do with more sporadic appearances in his rookie season. , and then failed to make the most of the matches granted to him in his second season.
Since Ancelotti’s arrival, the Italian has more or less kept the same formation, but has entrusted more matches to Vini, and has been duly rewarded with goal contributions. His role gives him less defensive responsibility than under Zidane and instead causes him to shy away from Benzema, who has also intensified since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
Final product
As mentioned, this is Vinícius Júnior’s best season in front of goal. The 21-year-old has 14 goals this season as well as recording six assists, although it could be argued that he should have had more chances converted by Benzema during a difficult period he endured before the winter break. That led to the Brazilian coming in with some vital goals that see Real cruise at the top of La Liga, being tipped to win the title already on the app. Betfair. If they win the league sooner than expected, they will have a lot to thank Vini for.
playing with confidence
For a player best known for his dribbling ability, Vini is doing much better due to his better composure, something Ancelotti recognized over the Christmas period.
“Vinicius has improved because he does things in less of a hurry than before,” Ancelotti told AS. “Vinicius has changed especially because he pauses at the important moments of each piece”.
The technician adds:
“The important thing in a player is that he does the difficult things well, because that makes the easy things come easier. Vini knew how to do the hard things, but he failed at the easy. Now he takes more time with the easier plays and that’s going well for him.”
Only time will tell how good the Brazilian can be, but he certainly has the potential to be a future winner of the Ballon d’Or at the Bernabéu.
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