Real Madrid: Vinicius Junior is one step away from true stardom

Real Madrid left winger Vinicius Junior is one key trait away from becoming one of biggest stars in the world.

Vinicius Junior is the kind of player every fan wants in their team. The Real Madrid left winger never stops working. He tracks back defensively, yes, but I’m talking about the kind of work that a player who leads a league with 293.4 progressive yards dribbled per 90 minutes puts in. When he’s on the pitch, Vini is the man creating danger, working hard to get into the final third and make something happen to lead the way for Los Blancos.

A lot of the discourse surrounding Vinicius centers around the word “confidence”. It’s used to explain his lack of goals, as he was ninth on the team in goals per 90 minutes, scoring five goals in all competitions. Yet Vini was still behind only Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, fellow young phenom Rodrygo Goes, and Toni Kroos in terms of goal-scoring. And this was just his second year with the team in a role in which he was mostly used as a creator for others.

It’s unfair to say a player who attempted the second most dribbles per 90 minutes in La Liga behind only Lionel Messi was lacking in confidence. Watch how he took the fight to Barcelona in the second Clasico of the season, scoring the opening goal, and tell me Vini lacks confidence. Check out his chipped goal against Mallorca and tell me that Vini doesn’t have the confidence to do something special on the pitch.

Vinicius is already one of La Liga’s best players. His ball-carrying and creative statistics as a winger back that up. He’s already comparable to Messi statistically with how he starts and commands attacks for Real Madrid, though he’s lacking in the goals and assists department.

Vinicius Junior has the quality, confidence, and decision-making

Therein lies the next step for Vinicius. But it’s not down to “decision-making” or “quality” or “confidence”. The Real Madrid left winger has all three. In order to go from “talent” to “big star”, Vinicius simply needs experience and consistency, which come with reps and the ability to grow into a weekly role.

Real showed trust in Vinicius this season, but there were times when Zinedine Zidane dropped him from the lineup to the detriment of the team. Vini assisted the loan goal against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, yet he was nowhere to be seen in the second leg – not even off the bench. Is that the best way to show faith and give opportunities to a player who needs big-game minutes to develop that consistency in the final third, especially in front of goal? It can’t be.

I’d like to highlight some statistics on Vini’s finishing that are interesting. The 19-year-old averaged 1.03 shots on target per game, behind only Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard among qualifiers. Impressive, right? But his shots on target percentage was sixth. He also needed more shots to score a goal than fellow forwards Rodrygo, Lucas Vazquez, and Karim Benzema, as well as midfielder Luka Modric.

Vinicius had about the same xG (4.9) as goals scored (5), so he wasn’t lucky or unlucky. He gets into dangerous situations. And he’s not lacking in finding quality in his finish, as evidenced by his swerving goal against Osasuna and chipped goal vs. Mallorca.

Real Madrid ask Vinicius Junior to support attacks

There are two things affecting Vinicius. The first is out of his hands, and it’s that Real Madrid like to use the left winger in a wider, creative role. If you look at Eden Hazard’s numbers, he’s scored just once this season. The left winger isn’t put into goal-scoring opportunities in Zidane’s organized, defense-minded system, so that doesn’t do favors.

But the other aspect of Vini’s relative lack of goals and assists is in his hands. He could stand to trust his instincts as a player. There are times when he takes too long to shoot, uses the wrong technique when cutting inside from the left by not going for the far post, or runs too far forward instead of cutting back with a dribble or pass. Especially in the first half of the season, Vinicius Junior missed Karim Benzema in the six-yard box frequently by running and smashing the ball toward the near post instead of going for a ground cross. These aren’t decision-making errors; they are errors of hesitation that dissipate with experience.

These issues, especially in front of goal, are perfectly normal for a 19-year-old wide forward in his first full season at Real Madrid. Vinicius has areas where he can improve, as all young players do. Yes, even PSG’s Kylian Mbappe. But above all else, what Vini needs are time and patience, which will hopefully be in plentiful supply from Zinedine Zidane and Madridistas alike.

Real Madrid have a special player in Vinicius who can develop into one of the top five players in the world. He’s already among the top five at his position in La Liga, and he could ascend even further in 2020-2021 by the end of the year if he keeps getting chances and keeps working at these weaknesses. Based on what we’ve seen so far, he has the work ethic, talent, humility, and leadership qualities to take it upon himself to be “that guy” for Los Blancos.