Vinicius Junior showing signs of becoming a key player for Real Madrid
2005
On Sunday night, Vinicius Junior scored and assisted to help Real Madrid come from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 at the Mestalla.
The Brazilian winger netted the equaliser on 86 minutes before curling in a point-point cross two minutes later to set up Karim Benzema for the winner.
It’s safe to say that Vinicius has enjoyed an indifferent start to his Los Blancos career since arriving at the Bernabeu as an 18-year-old back in 2018.
Yet, having just turned 21 prior to the start of the 2021/22 campaign, it feels like he is finally starting to fulfil his potential.
Vinicius has played a pivotal role in Real Madrid unbeaten start to the season, notching five goals and two assists in five La Liga appearances.
He came off the bench to score against Alaves on the opening weekend before bagging a brace against Levante on Matchday 2.
After firing a blank against Real Betis, he then scored in Real’s 5-2 thrashing of Celta Vigo before maintaining his impressive form against Valencia on Sunday.
At first glance, Vinicius’ overall record for Real Madrid isn’t exactly eye-catching – especially when you consider that he is a forward.
The 21-year-old has chalked up 19 goals and 25 assists in 124 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos, suggesting that he isn’t overly prolific.
He began to show everyone what is capable of last term, contributing six goals and seven assists in 49 matches during the 2020/21 campaign.
However, if his early-season form is anything to go by, he should eclipse last term’s tally without any real problems.
In fact, he has already surpassed his La Liga goal tally from last season. He scored three goals in 35 league games last term – and he already has five in five in 2021/22.
It will be difficult, of course, for Vinicius to maintain his current form throughout the entirety of the campaign.
But after making such a positive start to the season, it feels as though the Brazilian winger is ready to become one of Real Madrid’s key players.
As Vinicius enters his fourth season as a first-team player at the Bernabeu, this already looks like being his breakout campaign.
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