How VINICIUS JR converted himself to THE BEST FOOTBALLER of the WORLD!
Nobody notices these secret training tricks that have turned Vinicius Junior into the top football monster in the world! And you still don't see what the Real Madrid leader is cooking in a completely new role? Then get ready to hear the whole truth!
Vinicius ripped Bayern apart
Vinicius Junior showed truly outstanding performances in the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich! During the first leg, the Real Madrid winger managed to score a brace and was selected as the man of the match, while in the second leg he provided an assist and was once again named the best player of the match!
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Vini had all the fun he wanted against Die Roten - 9 duels won, 7 successful dribbling attempts, 5 shots, 2 key passes, 2 chances created and 2 fouls earned!
Vinicius was giving Joshua Kimmich a hard time on the right wing for almost the entire clash and confidently led Real Madrid to victory and the Champions League final!
His display in the crucial game of the season definitively proved that Vinicius has now reached a totally new level of play, which has never been seen before!
Vinicius becomes a big game player
Face it: Vinicius made a huge difference in all the big matches of the ongoing season! Here are some simple proofs: in January, he calmly ate a pineapple right before Clasico against Barcelona, and then went on the pitch and bagged a hat-trick! Later on, he netted an accurate shot against RB Leipzig in the Champions League Round of 16, slotted a brace against Manchester City in the first leg of the quarter-finals, and did everything he did against Bayern Munich - 2 goals and an assist!
At the moment, having an average rating of 7.74, Vini is the highest rated player in the UCL this season according to WhoScored! Moreover, over the past three years, starting from the 2021/22 campaign, the Brazilian has been the leading Champions League performer in terms of goals - 32, assists - 15, successful dribbles - 108, chances created - 68, and touches in the opponent's box - 301.
Among other things, we can't ignore the fact that Vinicius became only the fourth man in Champions League history to score in three straight semi-final legs with 50% of his goals in the Champions League scored in knockout games. Big game player, that's for sure!
It may sound unbelievable to admit, but Vini is not even 25 yet, and yet, at the age of 23 years and 9 months, he has already become the youngest football player in the Champions League history to reach the 20-goal mark in its knockouts. The Brazilian has done it even faster than Lionel Messi back in the day! The Argentine accomplished this result a little later, at the age of 23 years and 10 months. Wow!
There's one more thing hitting the eye: last season Vinicius scored 23 goals for Blancos in 55 appearances in all competitions, but in the current campaign, even despite injuries, he has already racked up 21 goals in 36 appearances!
All thanks to adjustments made by Carlo Ancelotti...
Vinicius mastered a new role
You see, last year, Vinicius operated as a left winger in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. Positioned wide on the flank, he laid the way forward with the ball from there, chopping it along the flank to make a cross or going inside to shoot or make a pass into the opponent's box. Back then, Vini often chose between ways to continue his attacks rather than ways to shoot from all dangerous positions.
Fortunately, on the eve of the 2023/24 campaign, everything changed! Carlo Ancelotti switched to a 4-4-2 diamond formation and Vinicius nominally became a forward with a free role. In the first half of the season, the Brazilian struggled to adapt to new demands, but over time, Ancelotti allowed the guy to open up across the width.
In the second half, Vinicius finally found his niche as a spearhead of the attacking line. To begin with, he was more often seen in the center of the attack and, as a result, the amount of openings between the lines increased. Vinicius actively searched for space for further ‘run in behinds’ and runs into the opposing teams' box. The fact of him being tied to the wing has always restricted Junior in this matter, but since the new year, his range of movement and impact has expanded significantly! And just like that, everyone saw what this MONSTER was capable of when he got released!
Vini decided to actively “scan” the gaps between the lines and even dropped deeper in order to pull more opponents out of their lines and open up spaces for his teammates.
“I'm unstoppable because when I'm not playing well as a winger, I go central and the opponents don't know how to defend against me,” Vinicius noted in a January interview with Real Madrid's official website.
Besides, the Brazilian has become more threatening at creating crosses and shooting opportunities.