Real Madrid: 4 things we learned from the 2019-2020 season

Vinicius is about to be truly special

Vinicius Junior first burst onto the scene in the second half of the 2018-2019 season as the lone true hope in what was otherwise a dismal campaign. An injury in the second-half of the season robbed him of making a truly profound impact, but Madridistas knew the teenager would be back with a vengeance in 2019-2020.

At first, Zinedine Zidane played things slowly with Vini, who had a hard time cracking the regular rotation with new superstar Eden Hazard starting at left winger. Slowly, Vinicius started to play more after Hazard first injury, and by the time Hazard suffered a second serious injury, the Brazilian was at his best.

Vinicius was brimming with confidence by the time March rolled around, showing his world-class potential in a demolition of FC Barcelona. La Blaugrana’s back four had exactly zero answers for Vini, who regularly took defenders on and found acres of space to begin counterattacks. He then scored the initial, decisive goal in the 2-0 win.

It is a joy to watch Vinicius, who is one of the hardest-working wide men in all of La Liga. Vini makes an impact on defense, and he has all the tools to be a Player of the Year in Spain’s top flight. His passing improved by leaps and bounds last season, he can score goals from nothing, and his ability to start plays in the final third hasn’t been seen since Angel Di Maria ruled the flanks at the Bernabeu.