Real Madrid: 3 young players who will be crucial in title race

LW Vinicius Junior

In Real Madrid’s most recent victories over Real Sociedad and RCD Mallorca, Vinicius Junior has been the team’s best player. He was constantly running at Sociedad’s defense and creating chances, including a penalty drawn. Then when he and Eden Hazard were starters together for the first time in 2019-2020, Vini stole the show. He scored the first goal with a lovely chip and was the crossbar away from a second picture-perfect chipped goal.

Vinicius is either a catalyst off the bench or a strong starter for Los Blancos. His performances in La Liga this year against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, provide examples of his ability to shine in each of those settings.

After Real’s 2-0 revenge win over Mallorca, Zinedine Zidane may be interested in playing Vinicius, Hazard, and Karim Benzema at the same time in order to reap the rewards of his most talented trio of attackers. But even if he can’t accommodate all three of them, Vinicius will still have a big role to play for Los Blancos this season.

According to WhoScored.com, Vinicius is second on the team with 1.9 dribbles completed per 90 minutes, and that number is deflated by his substitute appearances. What’s most remarkable is that Vini attempts 7.4 dribbles per 90 minutes, which shows just how relentless he is. Vini’s confidence, intelligence, and overall quality make him one of the most exciting young players in the world; he could be the deciding factor in the 2019-2020 title race with Barcelona.