In June 2017, Vinicius appeared at number 39 on the list of the best U21 players in the world voted by the Telegraph. It is worth mentioning that he is the only South American player to appear on this list. Also in this year, Vinicius entered world football history when he transferred from Flamengo to Real Madrid for a transfer fee of 45 million euros, becoming the second most expensive U19 player in history after his senior Neymar.

Five years later, Vinicius became a bright star in the Real Madrid squad. He is the hero of Los Blancos when he scored the only goal in the 2021/2022 Champions League final, thereby helping the Royal Spanish team defeat Liverpool.

Vinicius’s youth

Vinicius’ career in shorts and jerseys began in 2006, when his father took him to the branch office of the Flamengo academy, located in the Mutua neighborhood, Sao Goncalo, where Vinicius’ family lives. Initially, he was registered to play as a left-back and Cacau, a school teacher, recalled: “Vinicius’s father came to us when he was 5 years old and from that moment on, the boy was Demonstrate outstanding qualities compared to children of the same age. He was quiet and calm, never caused any problems but always stood out.”

Born into a poor working family, Vinicius moved to Abolicao with his uncle Ulisses to shorten the distance to Ninho do Urubu. He received financial support from Flamego as well as sponsorship from entrepreneurs. From 2007-2010, Vinicius attended futsal classes at Framengo’s academy. In 2009, when he was only 9 years old, he registered for Flamengo in futsal. The team recognized Vinicius’ potential and invited him back next year. However, during this time, Vinicius decided to switch to soccer instead of futsal. In August 2010, he passed the selection to become a member of Flamengo.

Instant promotion

Vinicius launched Flamengo on May 13, 2017. 2 days later, he signed a new contract with Flamengo, extending the contract term from 2019 to 2022, with a significant increase in salary, in exchange for a contract release clause raised from 30 to 45 million euros. However, Flamengo’s move is not really to retain Vinicius but mainly to increase the value of this young talent in the context of a series of big men looking at him. Finally, a year later, Flamengo reached an agreement with Real Madrid.

When he first joined the Spanish Royal team, because he was too young, Vinicius was included in the Real Castilla reserve team. However, with his natural talent, the Brazilian football prodigy did not take long to be promoted to the first team. From the 2020/21 season, Vinicius gradually became a mainstay of Los Blancos and the 2021/22 season witnessed a remarkable advancement in the form of the tomorrow’s star of the Santiago Bernabeu team. Specifically, this season saw Vinicius score 22 goals and make 16 assists on all fronts. The most important of which was the goal against Liverpool in the Champions League final.

The next generation of Neymar

At the national team level, Vinicius is considered the person who will succeed Neymar to become the leader of the Selecao. From November to December 2015, he participated in the U15 South American tournament and shone brightly with 6 goals to become the champion. In March 2017, Vinicius participated in the South American U17 tournament and continued to win the titles of Top Scorer, Best Player as well as the championship with Brazil U17. On February 28, 2019, Vinicius was called up to the Brazilian team for the first time, but then suffered a serious ankle injury.

Playing style and lifestyle

Vinicius has the characteristics of a Brazilian player. It is speed, skillful technique and excellent dribbling ability. Vinicius often plays on the left side, likes to show off his skills and has the ability to accelerate very impressive short distances. However, this player’s weakness is his ability to make reasonable and decisive decisions. However, over time in Europe, Vinicius’s skill set is increasingly improving.

Besides football, Vinicius loves playing games. He had a 2-year relationship with Maju Mazalli, a famous vlogger in his hometown.