Vinícius Júnior has been in the headlines for the past couple of days for all the wrong reasons. The Brazilian was one of the best players for Los Blancos in El Clásico and played a major role in setting up the winning goal of the matchup, which ended 2-1.
However, that has taken the backseat ever since Vinícius raised his hands in frustration after being subbed off in the second half against Barcelona and went straight down the tunnel. Reports have emerged lately, with some even claiming that the player is all set to leave Real Madrid in the winter transfer window.
Meanwhile, Vinícius has apologized during Real Madrid’s training session and also via a recent post on social media. So cooler heads seem to have prevailed finally.
That brings us to the performance of the Brazilian this season, which has been nothing less than impressive so far but neglected amid all these controversies. And it looks like the Brazilian has topped the charts in one of the metrics, even ahead of Kylian Mbappé.
Vinícius Júnior adopts an unsung Real Madrid role nobody else wants
According to a report by Squawka, Vinícius has had more touches in the opposition box than any other La Liga player. The Brazilian has made 89 touches so far, followed by Mbappé, who stands second with 83 touches. There is a huge gap to the next player, who is FC Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford, with 59 touches.
Vinícius has been the primary left winger for Real Madrid over the past few years and has found immense success, even winning two Champions Leagues with the club. However, his form has been inconsistent following the 2023/24 season Ballon d’Or snub.
Meanwhile, with the appointment of Xabi Alonso as the new manager of Real Madrid, things have changed significantly after a disappointing last campaign. Rotation is now a key part of Real Madrid’s tactics, which has resulted in Vinícius sometimes coming off the bench in matches or being subbed off before the full-time whistle, leading to reduced minutes for the star winger.
However, despite this, the 25-year-old has scored five goals and provided four assists in ten La Liga appearances for Los Blancos. So it’s pretty clear that, among all the noise, Vinícius is steadily improving and returning to his best. But can he continue this form and silence his critics? Let’s wait and watch.