Three seasons after making his first-team debut under Julen Lopetegui, Real Madrid are finally seeing the true greatness of Vinicius Junior.
The Brazilian international was rushed straight into the thick of it at the Santiago Bernabeu and yet, was not immune to the constant criticism that comes with playing for the world’s most successful football club. He is finally showing his stardom and at 21 years of age, which is still very much young in the context of sport, Vini Jr. has started to take command of things in Madrid.
This season, he has been the marksman in chief to Karim Benzema and is the team’s second highest goal getter already this season with nine strikes to his name. In doing so, he has already matched his tally of goals from his previous three seasons at Real Madrid, in all competitions. If all goes well, it is looking likely that Vinicius will comfortably cross the 20-goal mark in this season.
In his last three seasons at Real Madrid, Vinicius scored only 14 goals in all competitions with his best return coming last term with six strikes. This year, in just a few gameweeks, Vini has managed to better that tally by one and a half times and that is surely a benchmark which he will set for himself going forward.
Carlo Ancelotti seems to have struck a magic wand in front of the former Flamengo winger and that seems to have done the trick in ensuring Vinicius has become the player he is today. However, as the Italian only continues to attribute the player’s hard work and refrains from taking any credit towards himself on Vini’s development, here are three ways in which he has tremendously improved over the course of the last few months.
FINISHING
Vinicius Junior’s goal tally of this season surpassing his combined tally of the previous three years tells you a lot about how far he has come with his finishing. Not too many months ago was he a player who would dribble past three or four defenders as if they did not exist and fluff his lines at the most crucial moment, but that has changed for the better since Ancelotti’s arrival.
He is a much calmer player with the ball at his feet and there has been a marked improvement in his finishing as well. His two goals against Shakhtar Donetsk and Elche are enough to show what he has got up his sleeve and that is surely proving vital to the team this season. Vinicius can also shoot with both feet, as the numbers show he has four goals with either foot.
Although there is little to criticize about his finishing at the moment, he could be an even better player if he were to head the ball in a more accurate and powerful manner. He is only a few centimetres off the six feet mark, but nonetheless, he can improve his heading attributes and positioning while the crosses are being delivered from either flank, rather than staying wide.
DEFENDING
Vinicius Junior has become an all-round winger this season as opposed to the one of the past wherein he would only dribble and be a nightmare for the opponent’s defence without actually finding the back of the net. His overall progression means that the 21 year old is now a crucial part of the team’s defensive setup as well and makes life a lot easier for the left back on duty.
While Ferland Mendy is incredible and does not need much of a look-in, Miguel Gutierrez was assisted by Vinicius on more than handful occasions whereas Marcelo in the Elche game also reaped the rewards of Vinicius’ defensive work rate without the ball. This quality of Vinicius will give opportunities to Marcelo to play as his offensive elements are still unmatched by Mendy.
And while Vinicius does contribute defensively, it is with enough quality, too. He is not reckless while recovering the ball, which ensures that his recuperations are clean and do not lead to the opposition getting fouls every now and then. Vini’s habit of tracking back also helps the team play better on the counter-attack as his speed is also an asset while moving forward in the transitions.
DECISION-MAKING
Decision-making usually makes or breaks a footballer, and thankfully in the case of Vinicius Junior, he has become a much matured player and the stats reflect exactly that with 12 goal involvements this season in all competitions, in addition to the two penalties he has won, which were also duly converted by Karim Benzema over the course of the ongoing season.
Unlike in previous years, Vinicius is a lot more mature with the ball at his feet and does not spend too much time doing the trickery with it. His approach is more direct, as is his positioning. He does not drift unnecessarily wide as in the past and plays more in the interior and gets himself in one versus one positions with the opponents, wherein he usually comes out on top.
He is also a lot more selfless now. In the 6-1 win against Mallorca earlier this season, that was on show when he teed up Isco for his only goal of the season so far. That will hold him in good stead going forward, especially against opponents who are seasoned in the Champions League as that is the one competition which Real Madrid are always expected to win year in and year out.