Vinicius Junior has not looked good at all this season, and that is a fact. Even if you ask him, he would probably say just that.
He knows the goals are missing, and that he has to do a lot better in front of goal, but everything else is also looking problematic with the Brazilian forward. The only good thing about his performances so far is the brilliant defensive work that he has put in time and time again.
That cannot be ignored, but that also cannot be the only thing that satisfies Real Madrid fans. Vinicius Junior, who is now on the salary that he demanded to be on for over a year, has scored one goal and made three assists in seven games across all competitions this season.
That number will inevitably improve, there is no doubt about it. But, the fact that it is taking him this much time to even get on the scoresheet, or create a goal when Real Madrid need him to, is quite worrying.
Vinicius Junior's finishing, among other things, has been abysmal
It is also the other side of it: Vinicius Junior looks out of sorts. He is defending admirably, but his decision-making in the final third has not been good. His dribbling has not been even remotely up to the mark that he set for himself in previous years.
Let's also discuss the elephant in the room. It is not just the fact that Vinicius Junior has only scored one goal so far this season. The problem is that his finishing looks closer to his pre-2021 days than it is to the Ballon d'Or callibre player he became after that, and that is bad.
Against Elche, there were four chances which the Brazilian took poorly, all of which could have basically ended the game right there. The player looks lethargic with the ball, and is making errors while dribbling that he just would not make this often one or two years ago.
It is obvious for everyone to see that Vinicius Junior is not the same player he lost the Ballon d'Or in 2024. But, the biggest difference between that season and the season that has just started was that back then, there were some brilliant performances here and there, and at least he was scoring goals.
Last season, too, the Brazilian went on a really long run without scoring a single goal for the team, but at least he had some brilliant performances towards the end of the campaign, as well as in the World Cup for Brazil.
The talent is there. It is obvious. The player has not simply regressed. Vinicius Junior can still make the comeback to how he used to be - we saw that version this summer. The question is whether Vinicius Junior actually wants that version to come out more often. The season is long, but that can be a blessing and a curse for Real Madrid fans, depending on which version of Vinicius Junior comes out to play.
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