Vinícius Júnior
Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior, commonly known as Vinícius Júnior or Vini Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his pace, technique and dribbling ability.
Born in São Gonçalo, Vinícius began his professional career at Flamengo, where he made his senior debut in 2017, at age 16. A few weeks later, Vinícius was the subject of a transfer to La Liga club Real Madrid, for whom he signed in a £38 million deal, which was a national record for a player under 18. The transfer was made effective after his 18th birthday, with Vinícius debuting for the club in 2018–19. Over the following seasons, Vinícius established himself as a prominent member in Real Madrid's squad, helping the club win two La Liga–Champions League doubles, scoring the winning goal in the 2022 final, as well as the second goal in the 2024 final, being named the tournament's Player of the Season in 2024. Vinícius was included in the FIFPRO World XI in 2023 and 2024, and was named The Best FIFA Men's Player in 2024. He also finished runner-up in the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting.
At his youth stage for Brazil, Vinícius was a key player in the victory at the 2015 South American U-15 Championship and 2017 South American U-17 Championship, finishing as leading goalscorer in the latter competition. He made his senior debut in 2021 and helped his nation to a runner-up finish at the 2021 Copa América, also representing Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2024 Copa América in the United States.
Club career
Early career
His footballing career began in 2006, when his father took him to the branch offices of Flamengo, in the neighborhood of Mutuá, in São Gonçalo where he lived. His club document described him as a left-back.Hailing from a poor Catholic family, Vinícius went to live in Abolição with his uncle, Ulisses, to shorten the distance to Ninho do Urubu. He started to receive financial aid from Flamengo as well as aid from entrepreneurs.
Between 2007 and 2010, Vinícius attended futsal classes at Flamengo's school in São Gonçalo at the Canto do Rio, a famous club located in the centre of Niterói. Flamengo noted his potential and he decided he wanted to play football, not futsal. In August 2010, Vinícius had a trial to play for the Flamengo youth team, and he accepted an invitation to play for their football team. Before, in 2009, when Vinícius was nine, he took a futsal trial for Flamengo, he was asked to come back the following year.
Flamengo
Vinícius debuted for Flamengo on 13 May 2017 as an 82nd-minute substitute in a Brazilian Série A 1–1 draw against Atlético Mineiro. Two days later he extended his contract with the club from 2019 until 2022, with a significant salary increase and a buyout clause increase from €30 million to €45 million. This contract renewal was reported as being part of the transfer process of Vinícius to Real Madrid, an agreement reached between the two clubs in Gávea that week with an obligation to sell the young player in July 2018.On 10 August 2017, Vinícius scored the first professional goal of his career in a Copa Sudamericana second round leg 2 match against Palestino in a 5–0 win for Flamengo. He scored one goal, 30 seconds after being substituted on in the 72nd minute. On 19 August, he scored his first Brazilian Série A goals for Flamengo, in a 2–0 win against Atlético Goianiense.
Real Madrid
On 23 May 2017, La Liga club Real Madrid signed a contract to acquire Vinícius, effective after his 18th birthday on 12 July 2018. He transferred for a reported fee of €46 million, which was at the time, the second most expensive sale of a player in the history of Brazilian football, the largest amount received by a Brazilian club for a transfer, and the highest amount ever paid by a club for a footballer under the age of 19. He was originally scheduled to return to Brazil on loan in July 2018.2018–21: Development and adaptation to Spain
On 20 July 2018, he was officially presented as a Real Madrid player. He was issued squad number 28. He made his debut on 29 September, coming in as an 87th-minute substitute in a goalless draw against Atlético Madrid. Vinícius made his first start on 31 October in a 4–0 Copa del Rey away victory against Melilla, contributing with assists for both Marco Asensio and Álvaro Odriozola in what Marca recognised as a Man of the Match performance. He scored his first goal on 3 November 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 victory against Real Valladolid. He scored four goals between his debut on 29 September and 7 February 2019. On 6 March, he tore a ligament during a loss to Ajax, which ended his season.On 11 December 2019, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–1 away win over Club Brugge in the 2019–20 season. On 1 March 2020, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win for Real in El Clásico against Barcelona. He made 29 appearances during the league season, while scoring three goals, as Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga.
On 6 April 2021, Vinícius scored two goals in a 3–1 win against Liverpool in the first leg of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Real Madrid would advance to the semi-finals where they lost to eventual champions Chelsea.
2021–22: Breakthrough, second league title, and UEFA Champions League victory
Vinícius started the 2021–22 season by scoring Real Madrid's fourth goal in a 4–1 away victory over Alavés on the opening day of the La Liga campaign. On 22 August, he scored a brace in a 3–3 draw against Levante coming off the bench, which earned him a first-team place, ahead of Eden Hazard. On 30 October, he scored twice as Real Madrid won 2–1 at Elche to go top of the La Liga table. The goals were his sixth and seventh of the league season and his eighth and ninth overall, surpassing his total output of six goals in all competitions during the 2020–21 season in just 14 matches. On 12 May 2022, he scored his first hat-trick for Real Madrid in a 6–0 victory over Levante.On 28 May, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League final to clinch Madrid their record 14th UEFA Champions League title. Vinícius ended the 2021–22 season as Real Madrid's second-best goalscorer with 22 goals in all competitions, only behind his attacking partner Karim Benzema. For his performances Vinícius was named the inaugural Champions League young player of the season and included in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League team of the season.
2022–23: Inheritance of the No. 7 shirt and Club World Cup title
On 11 February, Real Madrid defeated Al-Hilal 5–3 in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final as Vinícius scored a brace to claim the tournament's best player award and his second Club World Cup title. On 21 February 2023, Vinícius scored two first-half goals to power Real Madrid's 5–2 comeback win at Anfield against Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League knockout stage round of 16 tie.On 9 May 2023, Vinícius made a significant contribution to Real Madrid's performance in the first leg of the semi-final against Manchester City, scoring a remarkable long-range goal in the 36th minute. Alongside teammates Rodrygo and Karim Benzema, he created numerous opportunities, showcasing Real Madrid's counter-attacking prowess against Manchester City's dominant possession. The match ultimately ended in a 1–1 draw. However, in the second leg of the semi-final, Real Madrid suffered a crushing 4–0 defeat against City, thereby ending their campaign for the Champions League title. He was selected in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League team of the tournament.
In the aftermath of Hazard's departure, Real Madrid confirmed that Vinícius, who previously wore the No. 20 shirt, would be sporting the club's iconic No. 7 jersey, once worn by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raúl, from 2023–24 season onwards.
2023–24: Third La Liga title, Second Champions League trophy, and becoming club talisman
On 19 August 2023, Vinícius scored the decisive goal in a La Liga match against Almería, contributing to Real Madrid's victory alongside teammate Jude Bellingham, who netted the previous two goals. On 25 August 2023, Vinícius sustained an injury to his right biceps femoris muscle during a league match against Celta, a game that Real Madrid ultimately won 1–0. On 27 September 2023, Vinícius made his return to play in a league fixture against Las Palmas after recovering from his injury. On 3 October, he got his first Champions League goal of the season, netting the 1–1 equaliser in Madrid's away game against Napoli, which eventually ended in a 3–2 win.Real Madrid announced on 31 October 2023 that they had extended Vinícius' contract until 30 June 2027. On 14 January 2024, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Barcelona in the Supercopa de España final. Throughout the month of March, Vinícius went on a rich goalscoring run, scoring six goals in four matches across all competitions, including a brace against Valencia at Mestalla Stadium, and the tie winning goal against RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16 to help Real Madrid advance to the quarter-finals. On 21 April, he scored another goal against Barcelona in Real Madrid's 3–2 home win to help Los Blancos virtually seal the league title. On 30 April, he netted a brace in a 2–2 away draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final first leg; hence, he managed to score at that round for the third consecutive season, in addition to reaching at least 20 goals in all competitions for the third straight season. He then followed up this performance with another man of the match performance against Bayern in the second leg, helping Real Madrid win 2–1 and advance to the final.
On 1 June, Vinícius scored in Real Madrid's 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final, winning his second trophy in the competition. Aged 23 years and 325 days, he became the youngest player to score in two Champions League finals, beating Lionel Messi's record by thirteen days. Two days later, Vinícius was named the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, registering six goals and five assists in Madrid's trophy-winning campaign.