Real Madrid left winger Vinicius Junior has played a vital role in two Champions League triumphs and three LaLiga titles, but in none of those successful seasons was the Brazilian international the team's leading goal-scorer.
Even so, after Karim Benzema's departure following the 2022/23 season, the keys to the kingdom were handed to Vinicius Jr. in the attack. Though Jude Bellingham's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in summer 2023 ensured that Vini would have another young superstar to share the spotlight with - and Jude would score more goal that season despite being a midfielder - the team was unquestionably in Vini Jr.'s hands.
And supporters fully backed that notion, even pushing harder for Vinicius Jr, to win the Ballon d'Or than Bellingham after his heroics in the second half of the season, particularly against Bayern Munich in the semifinals, ensured Real Madrid would hoist their 15th Champions League title in history. That push proved to be costly, as no Real Madrid player won the Ballon d'Or when, perhaps, Bellingham would have if the votes weren't split.
Nevertheless, Vinicius Jr. had an exceptional season. And in 2024/25, he is also having an exceptional season. But for the first time since Benzema yielded the spotlight during an injury-plauged 2022/23 campaign, it seems like Vinicius Jr. is no longer the focal point of Real Madrid.
Kylian Mbappe is 'the guy' now
Kylian Mbappe, after a rough adjustment period, has fully blossomed into Real's best player, and anybody who watches this team play on even a semi-regular basis can see that the Frenchman stands out from his peers, including the man playing in his favorite position on the left side of the Madrid attack.
With 18 goals on the LaLiga season, it is Mbappe who is Madrid's leading man. On the pitch, he is doing the best work of any of the forwards on and off the ball, even though he sees less of the ball than Vinicius Jr. and doesn't try to take on many more opponents. He is a developed, efficient attacking player, whereas Vinicius Jr. still tries to play like a raw youngster. It is exciting, but it is not effective for the team, because it leads to missed opportunities.
Vinicius Jr. has to get word from Carlo Ancelotti and the Real Madrid staff that he needs to go back to being what he was in the 2021/22 season when he was at his most efficient. He is a better player now with experience, but it isn't showing because he's trying to do too much. Vinicius Jr. wants to take penalties when Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are better finishers. It costs the team. He wants to dribble through three defenders instead of crossing. It costs the team. He wants to shoot instead of finding Jude or Kylian. It hurts the team.
On paper, Vinicius Jr. is having a fantastic season with 10 goals, 5 assists, 2 key passes per game, and more than 5 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per match. But he is also able to accrue those numbers because he demands a bigger share of the ball than his teammates, so Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes sacrifice their own opportunities to score and create for Vini Jr.
It's time for Vinicius Jr. to be a "point guard" and let Kylian Mbappe be the "shooting guard'. Less is more for Vinicius Jr. going forward. The penalty miss off a play that Mbappe won with his brilliance should be taken as a lesson for Vini Jr. that he's not "the guy" anymore. Mbappe is. And when Vini was the best winger in world football in 2021/22 and first broke out, it was the same case with Vini and Benzema mutually benefiting from their relationship with Benz as the Ballon d'Or winner.
The sooner Vinicius Jr. goes back to being the player that he was three seasons ago, the better for Real Madrid, because the entire team will benefit. And they will be able to create better chances for Vinicius Jr., too, when everyone is playing synergistically instead of trying to watch Vinicius play me-against-the-world hero ball against every single opponent. It's not working, and it's going to catch up to both him and Real Madrid if this doesn't change. Vinicius Jr. is too good at being winger to pretend he's the second coming of Cristiano Ronaldo in a Manchester United shirt. Because remember, even Cris, brilliant as he was, evolved.