Magical real-life figure Vinicius
Loved, hated and extremely greedy
01.06.2024, 12:59
Real Madrid is relying on Vinicius Junior in the Champions League final against BVB. The Royal fans love the controversial Brazilian, others insult him. It is almost forgotten that he is an outstanding player who has a good chance of being voted World Footballer of the Year.
Life between love and hate sometimes drives Vinicius Junior crazy. “I’m only 23. Sometimes I don’t even know how I cope with it all,” says the top star of Real Madrid, who is sometimes called a “monkey” by hundreds of angry fans, and sometimes celebrated as the “best player in the world.” “It’s just a crazy world,” says the Brazilian.
And it remains crazy. When the Royals (9 p.m. on ZDF and DAZN as well as in the live ticker on ntv.de) Vinicius is Real’s most dangerous weapon as Real Madrid look to win their 15th trophy against Borussia Dortmund. It was his goal that made the difference in the 2022 final against Liverpool. “That was great. But my hunger is not satisfied, I want a lot more,” says the voracious attacker confidently.
“Of course I’m not a saint”
Real fans love their “Vini” for such statements, others interpret his sayings as well as his style of play as arrogance. “Of course I’m no saint. Sometimes I talk too much, sometimes I dribble in a way that isn’t necessary,” he said recently in a fit of self-criticism. He offers plenty of scope for attack: in the semi-final against Bayern, he simply threw a ball from Joshua Kimmich, who was trying to hurry up, back to the ground.
There is no doubt about it: Vinicius is a controversial figure and is met with hostility by a shocking number of non-Madridistas. There are no limits. Just a few weeks ago, hundreds of Valencia fans chanted “Mono” or “monkey” to him. This was “not the first time, not the second and not the third time,” he said afterwards about the open racism.
“He creates magic out of nowhere”
It is almost forgotten that Vinicius is an outstanding player who has a good chance of being voted World Player of the Year this year. His teammate Jude Bellingham would even vote for him instead of himself. “For me he is the best player in the world. He is almost impossible to defend. He creates magic out of nowhere,” said the former Dortmund player on Monday.
Six years ago, after just twelve months as a professional, Vinicius came to Madrid as a teenager from traditional Brazilian club Flamengo Rio de Janeiro for 45 million euros. Since then, he has been paying back diligently. This season alone, he has scored five goals in the Champions League, two of them against Bayern and one against Leipzig, and provided five assists.
He gets help from his great compatriot Ronaldo. The 2002 world champion calls him “again and again to give me tips,” he said in a recent UEFA interview: “He told me that his behavior in one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper was his greatest strength, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since then.” A new quality that BVB should now also experience.