Five bold predictions for Real Madrid’s 2018/19 season
By Sachin Bhat
#2 Vinicius will make us drool over him (and cap a fine debut season)
The 18-year old arrived at the Spanish capital to much fanfare in the summer, despite being a relatively unknown and untested player. But just one year in Brazil’s top flight – where he scored 14 times and assisted another 4 goals in 49 starts – was enough to convince Florentino Perez to splurge a massive €46 million in his pursuit.
Even though we haven’t seen him play in an official game yet (he was an unused substitute in UEFA Super Cup clash), the Brazilian teen managed to grab eyeballs during the pre-season.
He was fast, he was tenacious, his first touches were promising, and had a keen eye for goal. He also demonstrated some insane skills on the ball during his presentation that had the fans in raptures about him.
Vinicius has already set the expectation bar quite high, while the mammoth price tag has his task cut out. But he’ll do just fine. He is sure to start a handful of games over the course of the season on the left-wing, while Lopetegui can also use him as an impact substitute in big games.
Either way, Vinicius is going to cut the mustard and weigh in with some goals and assists. Take that to the bank.