More mature and colder in the face of goal, Real Madrid winger Vinicius faces a new challenge on Sunday against Barcelona, where he aspires to repeat his great performance in the 5-0 win against Shaktar Donetsk in the Champions League.
Vinicius «has improved a lot, he is doing very well in this first part of the season. He has scored a lot of goals, he does a lot of work to get there, ”Merengue coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the match.
The 21-year-old Brazilian winger led his team’s reaction to the Ukrainians with a double, which included a goal leaving several opposing defenders behind.
A goal that once again highlighted the speed, overflow and power, which have been his main weapons to make a place for himself in the white team since his arrival in 2018, although his beginnings were marked by his precipitation in front of the rival goal.
– ‘A very serious thing’ –
«Vinicius appeared to us as a fast and dribbling but crazy winger, who neither saw the center nor saw the shot. Now he has both, “said the honorary president of the newspaper AS, Alfredo Relaño, on Wednesday in a column titled” Vinicius is already a very serious thing. “
Landed in Madrid from Flamengo for 45 million euros ($ 52 million) and a seven-season contract, Vinicius already shook a Real Madrid in full swing in his first season after the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Zinedine Zidane.
It was coach Santiago Solari, who decidedly opted for the Brazilian’s spark: «Vinicius has exceeded expectations. He is 18 years old, he is a kid who has the whole future ahead of him, ”the Argentine coach praised in December 2018.
Zidane’s return to the bench allowed Vinicius to continue his progression: from the 31 games and three goals in his first season, he went to 38 games and five goals in the 2019/2020 season that culminated in the league title.
“He has a present and a future at Real Madrid,” said Zidane in October 2020, who did not hesitate to use the Brazilian as a catalyst in stuck matches.
In the past season, Vinicius continued to add games until the 49th in which he scored 6 goals and gave 7 assists, but it was this season with Ancelotti that the Brazilian seems to be displaying all his offensive potential.
In just eleven games, he has already scored 7 goals, one more than in the whole of last season, to which we must add 5 assists.
– Third best league scorer –
Five of his goals have been scored in LaLiga, which has made him the third best scorer in the championship, only behind Benzema (9) and Real Sociedad striker Mikel Oyarzabal (6).
“I am very happy to start the season well,” Vinicius said last Tuesday, recalling that “I have 21 years and a long time to evolve and work and to be the great player that I imagine and imagine the people of the club.”
The Brazilian, whose progression has been benefited in recent years by Eden Hazard’s continuous losses in his position, has become Benzema’s best squire in the white attack.
After the controversy caused in 2020 by Benzema’s advice to Ferland Mendy asking him not to pass the ball to Vinicius: “he does what he wants. Brother, don’t play with him. Play against us », ‘KB9’ became a mentor to Vinicius and other young people from Real Madrid.
«’Vini’ is still young, but he deserves what he is doing with goals, assists and danger. He is a crack for his age and hopefully I will continue like this until the end of the season because we need him, “said the French forward on Tuesday.
This deadly connection (between the two they have scored 18 of the 25 goals that Real Madrid has this season) will be tested again on Sunday in search of three crucial points against Barcelona. (AFP)