Borussia Dortmund suffered the brunt of the Vinicius magic once again last night, as the Brazilian international bagged a hat-trick to help Real Madrid secure a 5-2 victory in the Champions League.
Real Madrid were initially trailing 2-0 at half-time. But an inspired performance from Vinicius and co saw the European champions stage a magnificent turnaround.
Vinicius’ sensational hat-trick against Dortmund was the ideal backdrop for the Brazilian as he gears up for the Ballon d’Or ceremony next week, as the undisputed favourite.
Comparisons with Pele
As reported by Diario SPORT, the Real Madrid camp was left mesmerised by Vinicius’ performance against Dortmund in the second half.
So much so that Real Madrid legend and current director of external relations, Emilio Butragueno, couldn’t help but compare him to the legendary Pele.
After the game, Butragueno admitted that Vinicius’ third goal ‘reminded me of Pele’.
He added: “For those of us who love football it justifies coming here to the Bernabeu and seeing how a player offers you this play that provokes many emotions, including admiration.”
Vinicius all set for greatness?
However, while Pele was one of the most beloved footballers of his time, Vinicius has yet to win that kind of adoration, especially from non-Madrid fans.
Vinicius, after all, has been a victim of many racially-motivated slurs and chants in Spain. The Brazilian has not been silent either, with Javier Tebas recently labelling him as the leader in the fight against racism.
Discounting the off-field controversies, Vinicius is gearing up for an important week ahead.
The Real Madrid star, after all, could make history by becoming only the fifth Brazilian to win the Ballon d’Or, following in the footsteps of Kaka, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.