Real Madrid’s new signing, Vinícius Júnior, showed signs in a promising Stateside debut for Real Madrid that he is ready to be a first team regular
Vinícius Júnior stole the spotlight the moment he signed for Real Madrid at the age of 16, consequently becoming the most expensive teenager in football history. The Brazilian sensation impressed in his debut for the Champions of Europe against Manchester United in a friendly in the United States, giving a sign of intent about staying to prove himself with the first team instead of being loaned out.
Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat in the friendly against Manchester United, but they mainly played with the ‘B’ team with a few veterans as Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. While the young faces mostly did not impress, one talent who showed moments of brilliance on his debut was Vinicius Júnior. The 18-year-old was not consistent throughout the whole match but the Brazilian youngster showed enough confidence and signs to suggest that he has technical quality to be a first-teamer with the European giants.
Marca after closely following Vinicius Junior’s first days at Real Madrid: “the club feels they have a different & special player who can mark an era. He can make history with what he’s recently shown. He’s fast, physically top & shameless with how he embarrasses other players.” pic.twitter.com/xOGXUufczW
— SB (@Realmadridplace) July 31, 2018
With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, Madrid lost their number one star player and a wing option that was seen as a lock-in the starting lineup. This means that the position is now up for grabs, with Isco and Marco Asensio being the main candidates to grab the vacant position. However, Isco is seen as more of a midfielder rather than a threat in the final third, which could open the spot for Vinícius to enter the competition. It is worth remembering that Gareth Bale has a history of struggling with injuries, and every time he is out, it is likely that Asensio will be moved to the right, freeing up a vacancy on the left-flank for Isco and Vinicius Júnior to fight for.
Real Madrid do not seem close to signing a new galactico despite earlier reports linking them to Chelsea star Eden Hazard. In the event that Cristiano Ronaldo is not replaced by a new mega signing, there’s a chance Vinicius can establish himself as a regular bench option throughout the majority of the season, with several cameo appearances, and why not a few starts depending on form, injuries, suspensions, rotation and other factors.
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What makes Vinicius Júnior so promising is his ability to take on opponents in one-on-one situations thanks to his blistering runs, burst of pace and magical feet that allow him to confuse the opponent, if not to send him in the opposite direction. Real Madrid can possibly put Júnior’s qualities into good use for the benefit of the team, if they manage to take care of his talent and to help him establish himself in European football.
Rumor has it that Vinicius Júnior is very close to making his first Brazil first team call-up, and this might well be happening as soon as next month’s friendly against the USA. There is no doubt that the Real Madrid youngster is the future of the Seleção, and deserves to get his first call-up.
