Vinicius Junior, talent beyond age

Vinicius did what superstars like Benzema, Salah, Mane could not in the final at the Stade de France. A clever run behind Trent Alexander-Arnold to tap the ball in close range. This situation must have been foreseen by Juergen Klopp, but it still happened. Vinicius cannot be caught just because he wants to. Remember, no big team in the Champions League this season has been able to completely stop the 21-year-old player.

Vinicius has scored or assisted against PSG, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. Even against Man City, the young Real Madrid striker scored a superb solo goal from midfield. Vinicius has almost everything: speed, daring, superb technique and sensitivity in front of goal. Real Madrid's Champions League winning journey has been marked by Vinicius Junior, who contributed to 11 goals (4 goals, 7 assists). It is worth noting that the last time a South American player under the age of 22 did what Vinicius did (contributing to at least 10 goals in a Champions League season) was Messi in the 2008/09 season (9 goals, 5 assists).

The young Brazilian star ended the 2021/22 season with a total of 22 goals, second only to Benzema (44) and nearly four times his own achievement last season (6). If in the previous three seasons at Real Madrid, Vinicius was just a potential striker with inconsistent form, this season is the performance of a world-class goalscorer. It should be emphasized that in the top 5 European championships, only Vinicius and Son Heung-min did not need a penalty to reach the 20-goal mark in all competitions.

Vinicius Junior scores against Liverpool in the 2021/22 Champions League final

“With this championship, we can forget about Mbappe,” said president Florentino Perez after the Champions League final. And with Vinicius as sharp as a knife, Madrid do not need to regret the French star. At 21, the Brazilian player is still very young but has a lot of experience in top matches. Together with Benzema, they create an attacking duo, one old and one young, supporting and complementing each other.

No one has forgotten that a year and a half ago, in October 2020 to be exact, during halftime of the match against M'gladbach in the Champions League group stage, Benzema criticized Vinicius when talking to his compatriot Ferland Mendy. "That guy is really bad. Don't pass to him", the conversation between Benzema and Mendy caused a stir in public opinion. It is true that there were times when Vinicius disappointed his teammates and coaches because of his poor performance, because he did not meet the great expectations. "He must improve his tactical thinking and physical strength", Ancelotti commented on the Brazilian player at the beginning of the 2021/22 season.

But that was Vinicius yesterday. Now, he is the best striker in Europe. The Brazilian has completed 115 successful dribbles, the highest in La Liga this season and second only to Newcastle's Allan Saint-Maximin in the top five leagues. The Brazilian's talent is also reflected in the number of 14 successful "threads", the highest in La Liga 2021/22. But Vinicius is not a fan of showmanship. Efficiency is still the highest priority for the 21-year-old player, such as the decisive goal in the Champions League final. A seemingly simple goal, but it contained the will, wisdom and coolness of a goalscorer much older than his 21 years.

21 year old miracle

With his goal against Liverpool, Vinicius Junior became the first player born in 2000 (or later) to score in a Champions League final. In addition, at 21 years and 320 days, the Brazilian striker became the fifth youngest player to score in a Champions League final after Marco Asensio (21 years and 133 days in 2017), Lars Ricken (20 years and 322 days in 1997), Carlos Alberto (19 years and 167 days in 2004) and Patrick Kluivert (18 years and 327 days in 1995).

22. Vinicius Junior has scored a total of 22 goals in all competitions this season, second only to Karim Benzema (44) among Real Madrid players.

According to Bongdaplus