Vinicius Junior: Who is the teenager Real Madrid fans adore?
Last updated on .From the section European Football
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Real Madrid was supposed to pave the way for Gareth Bale to emerge as the main man.
However, it is an 18-year-old Brazilian who is the talk of the Bernabeu.
Real announced in May 2017 they had agreed a deal to sign a 16-year-old Vinicius Junior from Flamengo in a deal worth Ā£38.7m - despite him having played only 17 minutes of senior football.
He arrived in the Spanish capital in July 2018 - days after Ronaldo left for Juventus for Ā£99.2m - and has since proved one of the positives in a season that has seen boss Julen Lopetegui sacked and Real trail bitter rivals Barcelona by eight points in La Liga.
The 5 live Football Daily Podcast panel discussed the impact Vinicius has made in a short space of time.
Two Ronaldos in one?
Vinicius played 12 minutes under Lopetegui but has started Real's last five league games under new manager Santiago Solari.
Four of those have ended in victory and on Wednesday he started the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Barcelona - which ended 1-1 - ahead of Wales international Bale.
"Vinicius has brought to the side an electricity, a sharpness and bravery they did not have," said Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
"In my eyes he has got a bit of both Ronaldos.
"When he starts running with the ball - the power, the strength, the pace, the control he has with the ball at his feet - is similar to that of the Brazilian Ronaldo.
"It doesn't mean he is going to be as good as either of the two Ronaldos and from here he has to have the right mentality, to work hard, be lucky with injuries, and have the confidence of the coaches.
"But right now he's got everyone in his pocket. Real Madrid's fans absolutely adore him."
'It was supposed to be Gareth Bale's year'
Vinicius has scored four goals - two in La Liga and two in the Copa del Rey - since making his Real debut on 29 September.
He has quickly developed an understanding with Karim Benzema, Real's French striker who has scored 10 times in La Liga this season.
"The chemistry and understanding he has with Benzema is better than what Bale has with the Frenchman," Italian football expert Mina Rzouki said.
"Those two together have revived Real Madrid. When Ronaldo left, it was supposed to be Bale's year.
"It is Benzema who has stepped up and has helped Vinicius."
'Similarities to Mbappe and Martial'
Kylian Mbappe made his debut for Monaco at 16 while Anthony Martial had just turned 17 when he played for Lyon in the Europa League.
French football expert Julien Laurens sees similarities between Vinicius' rise and that of Mbappe and Martial.
"Mbappe, Martial and Vinicius - they all started their first-team careers slowly," he said.
Before they were 19... | |||
---|---|---|---|
Player | Kylian Mbappe | Anthony Martial | Vinicius Junior |
Appearances | 54 | 27 | 11 |
Minutes played | 2,943 | 1,034 | 482 |
Goals | 23 | 3 | 2 |
Assists | 16 | 1 | 0 |
Stats provided by Opta (league only) |
"Maybe that will benefit Vinicius.
"Not many people in Europe had heard of him before but he played with the reserves and the youngsters, and that has given him time to adapt to life in Madrid.
"It's very similar with Mbappe who was very impatient at the beginning at Monaco. But he got his chance at the right time and really took it.
"Vinicius was the number one choice on the left hand side for the El Clasico game on Wednesday and Bale was only the number two."
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Ronaldo has averaged a goal a game (!) for something like 8 seasons in a row, which is insane.
Vinicius will probably end up another Robinho. Madrid have an extremely poor track record with young players, probably the worst of all elite clubs.
Slightly premature I think.
If he scores at the weekend I guess he will then be a combination of Pele and Messi. Usual over-hyping to fill column inches.
Both Ronaldo's revolutionised their positions. The only thing I'll give the Portuguese one over Brazilian is that he has continually evolved his game to suit both the changing game and his ageing body. He could easily play until he's 40.
If Brazilian Ronaldo hadn't been born with Darren Anderton's knees he could easily have been the best ever.
Vinicius - Could be truly great yet he isnāt even 20 but heāll be CR7
but my real issue here is time and time again we burden young wonderkids by calling them the next ... then call them disappointments if they donāt live up to the hype. When will we just let them blossom and watch how they develop into icons or not.
I bet he really regrets leaving spurs!
Nice to see one of the Giants in football finally get a mention from BBC. For some reason they report on small clubs in the EPL. If they were any good? Then they'd boast of CL medals won recently.
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Aside from not making much sense, the reason is because most people aren't that interested in Spanish football. Hence only the occasional article
Having lived in Madrid I know the ludicrous way young players are hyped.
Isco was the 'messiah' last year
Bojan was the 'new Messi'
Malcom (and anyone who goes by their first name) is some kind of second coming
Take it with a pinch of salt. It's Marca and AS selling newspapers and La Liga marketers trying to persuade everyone it has the new stars.
Also @5 he isnāt a youth product mate, heās exactly as you mentioned... multi million pound player as real payed Ā£35million for him!!
See, here's a great example of English people who have no idea about anything other than English football. It is but one of many examples. Y'all watch MOTD and think you have all the answers.
Vinicius took Flamengo to the semis of the copa libertadores, and left the Maracana to a hero's farewell, as a 17 year old. Nobody?
You're nobody.