Real Madrid: Ranking the 5 best young players of the 2021/22 Season
By Eesh Jhamb
1. LW Vinicius Junior
Finally, some good times for Vinicius Junior. Even after getting criticized by everyone for the past 2-3 years, Vinicius Jr. never stopped trying. He kept going and his hard work finally paid off. All Vinicius Junior needed was a little confidence to unleash his inner beast and that is where you expect Carlo Ancelotti to do the job for you.
This has been the breakout season for the young Brazilian and there is nothing to stop him now. At the start of the season, I wrote an article on how his form can help Real Madrid win the LaLiga and make them a serious contender for the UEFA Champions League.
He has been key throughout the season and his consistent top performances are the reason Real Madrid succeeded this season. He constantly threatened the opposition’s defence and it was his top form that enabled Carlo Ancelotti to give Karim Benzema some rest. With the Frenchman being called for the national duty, the schedule became even more hectic and increased the burden on his shoulders.
Statistically speaking, Vinicius Jr. has scored 22 goals with 16 assists in all competitions for Real Madrid this season as compared to his 6 goals and 4 assists last season. The Brazilian averages 2.1 key passes and completes 2.6 dribbles a game. The fact that Vinicius has won 10 Man of the Match awards so far tells us a lot about how good he has been this season.
Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema have been the duo of the season, with the two having a combined 96 G+A. it has been a delight to watch the two play together and combine well.
Apart from this, Vinicius Junior has scored 2 goals and assisted 4 in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. A crucial goal and Manchester City and the most important goal against Liverpool to finish the season on a very high note.
There was a time when the Brazilian’s form took a hit. He was no longer the threatening guy, making a lot of mistakes and easily taken down by the defenders. But Vinicius Junior did not let his bad times affect his game. He came back fast and even better than before.
This is just the start and Vinicius Jr. has a whole career ahead of himself at the club. He is the player of the future and will be one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or in the next couple of seasons. This year too, Vinicius Jr. deserves to be in the top 5 favourites to win the Ballon d’Or – if not in the top 3.
Next. Ranking Real Madrid's best overall players of the season. dark
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With the standout performances of Vinicius Junior this season, it is expected that he will soon sign a contract extension with Real Madrid. The new contract is expected to make the Brazilian a Real Madrid player till June 2027 and will have a massive increase in his salary which is €6 million at the moment.