Real Madrid began to sign young players in South America. In the absence of Argentines on campus, he looked in Brazil. This is how it came in 2018, a certain Vinicius Jr from Flamengo, and later, a certain Rodrygo from Santos. He began as a shock in the merengue team, but his performances were not always the best.
His adaptation was not easy, he earned criticism from all Madrid fans who did not see the evolution of a bomb that was about to explode. He was in the focus of Iberian journalism with negative comments because for wanting to do one more, he always finished his dribbles badly. Nobody could argue with his speed, but his completion in a shot or in giving a pass always ended badly.
In an initial season in which he played 30 games with the senior team, he scored four goals and gave eight assists. Then in the 2019-20 season, his numbers improved with 38 appearances, five goals and three assists.
In subsequent seasons, he began to have a greater role, in 2020-21, he was present in 49 games, six goals and four assists. While that bomb that he was about to shine exploded in 2021-22, he scored perhaps the most important goal for Real Madrid to reach the fourteenth Champions League in its history. He converted 22 points in 52 games played and gave 16 passes that ended up in the back of the net.
Although Karim Benzema could not beat his statistics in the Champions League, because with one goal he surpassed Robert Lewandowski as the third historical scorer in the Champions League, with three in the final he surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo as the top scorer in a Champions League edition and converting one, He also unseated Raúl González Blanco as the second scorer in the history of Real Madrid, the one who did celebrate was Vinicius Jr, displacing an Argentine star.
That winger who could not satisfactorily face a Carlos Arboleda in 2018 playing against Santa Fe, who could imagine that he would explode so much. With his goal against Liverpool, he not only gave Real Madrid the fourteenth Champions League, but also displaced Lionel Andrés Messi with a record. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate the goal, because he is the hero of Real Madrid with Thibaut Courtois.
That achievement in pushing the ball makes him the youngest player to score in a Champions League final. Him beating Lionel Messi when he faced Manchester United in the 2009 final. At that time the Argentine was 21 years old, the same as Vinicius at the moment.
However, the Brazilian managed to enter the Uefa Champions League history books. Well, ‘Vini’ makes a difference to the statistics when Messi scored. It turns out that the ages, despite the fact that each one scored with 21 years, the former Flamengo is younger by a few months.
Vinicius converted at 21 years, 10 months and 16 days, and the Argentine at the same age, but 11 months and three days. A slight difference that makes the Brazilian break records and continue to become a benchmark for Real Madrid and the world.
