Vinicius Junior is undoubtedly one of the best players in world football. Having scored in two of the last three Champions League finals – winning the tournament with Real Madrid on each occasion – there are few on the planet who deliver on the biggest stage quite like the Brazilian.
But his pathway to the top hasn’t necessarily been straightforward. Having agreed to move to Los Blancos from Flamengo upon turning 18 years of age, the winger was, at the time, the second most expensive sale of a player in the history of Brazilian football (behind only Neymar). This put an awful lot of pressure on the youngster.
In his first campaign with Madrid, he showed promise – netting seven goals and picking up 13 assists in 36 outings – but it was clear there was still plenty of work to do. His next season was a step backwards, however, as he scored only five goals and picked up just four assists in 38 appearances.
Standards are high when you play for the best team in the world and it appeared as though Vinicius Jr had lost the support of some of his teammates. Indeed, as his struggles continued into the 2020/21 season, as shown in the footage below, Karim Benzema once told Ferland Mendy not to give the Brazilian the ball because he was playing so poorly.
“He is playing against us”
The incident came in the group stages of the Champions League as Real Madrid took on Borussia Monchengladbach away from home in October 2020. It was half-time with the German outfit leading 1-0 and Vinicius clearly hadn’t been performing well out on the left wing.
Standing in the tunnel, waiting to go out for the second half, Benzema was clearly frustrated as he spoke with Mendy. With all teammates, including the young Brazilian, in earshot, he famously uttered the words:
“Brother don’t play to him. On my mother’s life. He is playing against us.”
Madrid would fall another goal behind and with the team trailing 2-0, Vini Jr was hooked on the 70th-minute mark. This being Real Madrid in the Champions League, Los Blancos would remarkably score in the 87th and 93rd minute of the game to salvage a point – with Benzema and Casemiro bagging the goals.
The Spanish giants would ultimately lose to Chelsea in the semi-final that season, but Vinicius would score a memorable brace against Liverpool in the round before, reminding everyone of his quality. Still, it wouldn’t be until the following season before he really started to flourish.
Oddly enough, seeing as his form picked up in the years afterwards, perhaps these harsh comments from Benzema were enough to inspire the talented winger to prove his doubters wrong and take his game to the next level.
Vinicius Junior at Real Madird | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Games | Goals | Assists | Honours |
2018/19 | 36 | 7 | 13 | FIFA Club World Cup |
2019/20 | 38 | 5 | 4 | La Liga, Supercopa de Espana |
2020/21* | 49 | 6 | 7 | None |
2021/22 | 52 | 22 | 20 | Champions League, La Liga, Supercopa de Espana |
2022/23 | 55 | 23 | 21 | FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Copa del Rey |
2023/24 | 39 | 24 | 11 | La Liga, Champions League, Supercopa de Espana |
2024/25** | 14 | 8 | 7 | UEFA Super Cup |
*The season Benzema made his harsh comments ** Season ongoing | ||||
Vinicius Junior’s Development
2024 Ballon d’Or Favourite
As of October 2024, Vinicius Junior is not just the best winger in the world, but he is probably the best player in the world. Indeed, he appears to be the number one pick to win the Ballon d’Or this year, having had a brilliant 2023/24 season.
In fact, even before he scored the second goal as Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final – sparking Rio Ferdinand into repeating ‘Ballon d’Or’ over and over – former Real ace Julio Baptista suggested he should be recognised as the world’s best, saying:
“He has achieved tremendous consistency in important games, and only the best do that. Ballon d’Or? This year I have no doubt I would give it to him.”
That vital goal, coupled with his blistering start to the 2024/25 season, has left many fans truly appreciative of his world-class talent. He certainly has come a long way from the young winger who looked slightly out of his depth playing alongside a superstar such as Benzema. He could match the Frenchman’s Ballon d’Or tally soon enough too.
It’s quite possible that Vini could also end up winning more major trophies as well. After all, Benzema won four La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues. The Brazilian has won the league three times already and trails the European trophy tally by three while still only being 24 years of age.
Either way, it seems both will be remembered as greats and that certainly wasn’t the expectation even just a few years ago.
Stats via Transfermarkt – correct as of 23-10-24.