Before the 2021-2022 season, Real Madrid fans were planning on seeing a competition at the left wing position between Eden Hazard and Vinicius Junior with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. Both would have the opportunity for minutes and the opportunity to improve under a more attacking manager with a penchant for bringing the most out of forwards.
But whereas Hazard has been pushed to the periphery of the squad amidst fitness concerns and is no longer able to meet the demands of a winger in the Madrid system, Vinicius Junior has found a new level to his game on the left side of the Royal White attack.
Vinicius is the guy. He is one of the best players in the world right now. For Real Madrid, he is indispensable as a goal-scorer, creator, ball-carrier, and a man who never gives up against any opponent. Look no further than his smashing solo goal from long range against Sevilla to win the match.
Next summer, Real will most likely welcome the superstar they have been pursuing for years, Kylian Mbappe. The PSG left winger has made his intentions clear and is even joking about a move to Madrid being a guarantee with fellow France national team icon Thierry Henry.
Real Madrid has always backed Vinicius Junior to become a superstar
The red carpet at the Santiago Bernabeu will be rolled out for Mbappe. He is a global superstar, a World Cup winner, and the star among stars on a PSG superteam that would be the flop of the century already without Mbappe and his emerging chance-creation.
But the red carpet for Mbappe, as brilliant as he is, will not roll over Vinicius Junior. The salary paid to Mbappe, the accommodations made for such a player…none of it will come at the expense of the young man who kisses the Madrid badge whenever he scores.
Carlo Ancelotti said it himself. Vinicius is staying on the left wing. It is a decision that will most likely be supported fully by Florentino Perez, who always believed in Vinicius. Not only did Perez reject PSG’s approaches for a Vini/Mbappe swap, but the club pulled out of the transfer battle with PSG to sign Mbappe from Monaco in order to get Vini to choose them over Barcelona.
There is the emotional aspect, too. Vinicius has come to mean so much to Real Madrid. The fans love his unselfishness, passion, confidence, and X-Factor ability to now score goals at the exact moment they are needed. He makes the difference, and you cannot just move someone who has fought so hard and shown so much character. It would be the ultimate disrespect to someone who has shown nothing but respect for the club – even if we all know he would change his position in a heartbeat if it meant helping the team.
Kylian Mbappe can excel in other positions
Because, we come to the final point, moving Vinicius from the left wing would not help the team. He is familiar with the position and the role in Madrid, and he is much, much better on this side of the formation. Mbappe is also better on the left, but he is a World Cup winner who has frequently excelled for PSG and France in other positions. We have seen Mbappe shine as a right winger in a 4-3-3 and as a striker in a two-striker formation.
We could see Vinicius and Mbappe together up top in the future. Or the two flanking Karim Benzema…and then Erling Haaland in some dream universe. But we will not see Vinicius anywhere else but the left side of the formation, whether it is two or three up top. He will either be a left winger, left midfielder in a four-man midfield setup, or a left-sided forward with two up top.
All of his exciting dribbles in transitions, cuts inside, and tireless defensive work out wide will remain. The left side of Real Madrid belongs to the young genius signed from Flamengo. All the reasons, including the ones that powerfully go beyond the X’s and O’s, point to Vinicius staying in the place he has sewn up with his majestic performances in 2021-2022.