Every football player goes through periods of ups and downs in their career, and the same holds true for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior. Despite being one of the best players in the world, the Brazilian forward has been going through a rough patch lately.
Vinicius is now 18 matches without finding the back of the net following Real Madrid’s recent 2-1 Supercopa semi-final win against Atletico Madrid, and there have been growing concerns regarding his form. The Brazilian's contract expires in 2027, and an extension has not been finalised yet, meaning there is a possibility that Madrid fans might have to bid goodbye to Vinicius.
In fact, there have already been rumours linking multiple European and Saudi Arabian clubs with the winger. Most recently, Chelsea were also said to be interested in the superstar, although that has been ruled out, as reported earlier.
Vinicius' next club if he makes Real Madrid summer exit
Now, it seems Vinicius has made up his mind about his next club if he does end up leaving Real Madrid in the future. According to ESPN, Vinicius does not want to move to Saudi Arabia and would instead prefer to join a top European club.
Vinicius’ decision is understandable given the higher level of competition in European football compared to Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless, Madrid signed Vinicius from Flamengo in 2018. Since then, the Brazilian international has been on a constant upward trajectory until 2024. The player has been a joy to watch, especially during the 2023/24 season, when he helped Los Blancos lift their 15th Champions League title.
Every Madridista expected him to go on to win the Ballon d’Or for his contributions in that campaign, but the award was eventually given to Manchester City midfielder Rodri. That may have been the point where things started to go wrong for Vinicius, as he has been trying too hard to replicate that form and has also been involved in unnecessary controversies.
The 25-year-old has scored just five goals this season and provided eight assists in 26 matches across all competitions, meaning he hasn’t been able to perform at his usual high standards so far.
That said, there is still a large part of the campaign left, and Vini could still get back on track if he manages to find his lost confidence again. Vini is still young at just 25 years old, and there is no need to draw early conclusions regarding his recent form. Fans certainly hope to see Vinicius prove his haters wrong and return to his best as soon as possible.